Rape in War: Challenging the Tradition of Impunity

RAPEINWAR: CHALLENGING. THE TRADITION OF IMPUNITY Dorothy Q Thomas and Regan E. Ralph rveports of rape in die former Yugoslavia have brought much deserved and long overdue international attention to the issue ofrape in war. This attention has highlighted die abusive character ofwartime rape, but it also has revealed die persistent misunderstandings regarding rape's prevalence, function and motivation in war. Moreover, efforts to ensure diat rape is prosecuted effectively by die International Tribunal established to try war crimes committed in die fomier Yugoslavia have underscored die difficulties in applying international human rights and humanitarian law to rape.1 In order to overcome diese difficulties and to end die appalling history of impunity for this abuse, rape in conflict must be understood…