Author: Iratxe Iglesias Otero

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in conflict zones continues to be one of the most brutal and silenced weapons of war. From the hills of eastern Congo to the occupied Palestinian territories and the frontlines of Ukraine, rape and other forms of sexual violence are not incidental to war; they are weaponized as deliberate tools of domination, humiliation, and ethnic persecution.

The Weaponization of the Body

The United Nations has long recognized the use of SGBV as a tactic of war, yet impunity remains the norm, not the exception. Survivors, most often women and girls, are subjected to unspeakable suffering: rape, forced pregnancy, sterilization, sexual slavery, and psychological trauma that spans generations. These crimes aim to destroy not only individuals but also the social fabric of communities.

Sexual violence in armed conflict is rarely random. It operates within broader structures of racism, patriarchy, and colonialism. In settler-colonial contexts, it becomes a tool not only of control but of elimination. Palestine is a powerful and painful example. Sexual violence has long accompanied Israel’s efforts to dispossess Palestinians, dating back to the 1948 Nakba. During that time, many Palestinian families fled their homes in fear that women would be raped by Zionist militias. Former political prisoners like Rasmea Odeh and Aisha Odeh have testified to being raped and tortured by Israeli interrogators in the late 1960s, a reminder that sexualized brutality is not a recent phenomenon, but a tactic deeply rooted in the colonial logic of domination and dehumanization.

Such violence has also been wielded against women political activists as a means of silencing resistance. Exploiting cultural notions of family honor and female virtue, Israeli forces have used sexual torture and blackmail against Palestinian women in detention to break their will and force confessions. This history of gendered colonial violence is often overlooked in mainstream analyses, yet it is central to understanding the patterns we are witnessing today.

A new report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry uncovers staggering contemporary allegations: sexual and reproductive violence by Israeli forces has been used systematically since October 2023 to terrorize Palestinians. The report details forced nudity, rape threats, genital violence, and the destruction of Gaza’s reproductive health infrastructure, including the shelling of its largest fertility clinic. These acts are described not only as war crimes but as genocidal acts aimed at undermining the reproductive capacity of a people.

Commission Chair Navi Pillay stated: „There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination.“

Specific methods documented include stripping detainees, rape, forcing men and boys to sit in the cold nearly naked, and targeting maternity wards. According to the report, these tactics are not isolated incidents but part of Israeli security forces’ standard operating procedures, reinforced by top civilian and military leadership. The widespread destruction of reproductive healthcare is seen as a direct violation of international law, from the Geneva Conventions to the Rome Statute, and may amount to crimes against humanity.

Ukraine: Breaking the Silence

The use of SGBV as a tactic of war is not limited to Palestine. In Ukraine, survivors of Russian occupation are breaking a long silence. Women and men who endured captivity recount repeated rape, sexual slavery, and torture at gunpoint. The pattern, as documented by Ukrainian and international NGOs, reveals a systematic campaign of sexualized violence aimed at erasing dignity and weakening resistance.

Inna Shevchenko, a feminist activist, observed: „The taboo around sexual violence has begun to break, not because society has evolved, but because the cruelty of Russian crimes has forced the unspeakable to be said.“

A Ukrainian bill passed in late 2024 formally recognized conflict-related sexual violence and opened the way for reparation claims. Yet, justice remains elusive. Identifying and prosecuting perpetrators is complex, and many may never face a courtroom. Still, Ukraine’s establishment of gender-sensitive SGBV prosecution units represents progress in a region where accountability is rare.

Congo: A War on Women

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), dubbed „the rape capital of the world“ reflects one of the longest-running and most devastating cases of conflict-related sexual violence. For decades, Congolese women have endured large-scale gang rapes, mutilation, and sexual slavery at the hands of militias, state forces, and even peacekeepers. The brutality is sustained by the ongoing fight over valuable conflict minerals such as coltan and gold, commodities essential to global electronics. The link between economic exploitation and sexual violence is devastating.

Dr. Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and gynecologist at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, has treated thousands of Congolese survivors. He affirms that these acts are not accidental: „Sexual violence in Congo is being used to destroy women and destroy communities.“

Despite the 2008 UN Security Council Resolution 1820, which condemned the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, many peace processes still exclude SGBV survivors. Perpetrators are often granted amnesty or even integrated into new state structures, while survivors continue to face stigma, medical neglect, and legal invisibility.

Toward Global Accountability

While progress has been made through international courts, as seen in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and the recent ICC trial of Ugandan warlord Dominic Ongwen, only a fraction of sexual violence cases in conflict reach prosecution. Survivors in Congo, Ukraine, and Palestine alike continue to wait for justice.

What is needed is a survivor-centered, globally coordinated response:

• Immediate humanitarian access to reproductive and trauma services;
• Strengthening of domestic laws with explicit SGBV provisions;
• Universal jurisdiction for prosecuting international sex crimes;
• Gender-sensitive institutions for truth-telling, redress, and reparations;
• A clear signal from the international community that impunity will not be tolerated.

This is not only a gender issue; it is a peace and security imperative. Until rape ceases to be a reward of war, until survivors are centered in recovery and justice, and until political leaders are held accountable for these atrocities, the global community will continue to fail its most vulnerable.

Iratxe Iglesias Otero was an EVS volunteer at UNA Bulgaria in 2025