Why soldiers rape : an integrative perspective

Abstract

Sexual violence against women represents a horrifying social phenomenon that continues to pervade contemporary war environments. The subject of wartime rape has gained increasing academic prominence since the mass rapes in the recent Bosnia­ Herzegovina conflict. However the current literature has paid little attention to the psychology of the offender, and thus the issue of wartime rape has remained somewhat perplexing. In response to some of the major shortcomings in the literature, namely a theoretical vacuum, this thesis represents an integrative analysis of why soldiers rape in wartime. The examination- of offender psychology through a variety of theoretical lenses enables an extensive analysis of individual, sociocultural, and situational variables that facilitate sexual aggression in wartime contexts. The incorporation of these variables into a metatheoretical framework recognises that wartime rape is a multidimensional phenomenon that has its roots in peacetime culture. Utilising a number of established etiological frameworks for understanding sexual aggression, this thesis makes a fundamental connection between peacetime and wartime rape. The integrative approach of "theory knitting" highlights some vital similarities and differences between these different contexts, thus enabling an in­ depth examination of why soldiers rape in wartime, when they would not do so in peacetime.