Wartime Sexual Violence Notes

Wartime Sexual Violence

1. During the Rwandan genocide, rape was systematically used as a weapon of war.
   1. Tens of thousands of women and girls were subjected to sexual violence.
   2. Estimates suggest between 250,000 and 500,000 women were raped during the 100 days of genocide.

1. Purpose and Strategy
   1. Rape was used as a deliberate tactic to humiliate, terrorize, and attempt the extermination of the Tutsi population.
   2. Women were regarded as bearers of cultural identity, so targeting them aimed to break down family structures and community continuity.
2. Symbolic and Social Impact
   1. Perpetrators attacked women as the “mothers” of the community, disrupting lineage and social cohesion.
   2. This had devastating consequences for post-genocide recovery and reconciliation.
   3. Survivor testimony: “They targeted us not just to kill our bodies, but to erase our dignity and our people’s future.” (Anne Marie de Brower, 2005).
3. Rape as Biological Warfare
   1. Many perpetrators were known or later found to be HIV-positive.
   2. Testimonies and ICTR records show that attackers deliberately infected women to ensure long-term destruction of the Tutsi population.
4. Gang Rape and Organized Attacks
   1. The ICTR documented cases of prisoners convicted of violent crimes being released to participate in mass gang rapes.
   2. These attacks were systematically coordinated by militia groups such as the Interahamwe.
5. Propaganda and Dehumanization
   1. Media outlets such as Kangura and RTLM portrayed Tutsi women as dangerous and treacherous.
   2. This sexualized propaganda fueled violence and justified the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war.
6. Extreme Brutality
   1. Tutsi women were often subjected to mutilation of body parts stereotypically associated with their ethnicity (thin noses, slender fingers, etc.).
   2. Survivors testified to attackers cutting off breasts, piercing vaginas with spears or sharpened sticks, and disfiguring faces.
7. Sexual Slavery
   1. Many women were abducted and held as sex slaves for weeks or months.
   2. They endured repeated rape, humiliation, and torture, designed to terrorize and biologically destroy the Tutsi population.
8. Sexual Violence Against Men
   1. Tutsi men were also subjected to genital mutilation and sexual humiliation.
   2. The ICTR documented cases of penises cut off or mutilated, often displayed publicly.
   3. This violence aimed to emasculate men and destroy their status and dignity within the community.