Women, Peace and Security’: Addressing accountability for wartime sexual violence

This article examines the issue of accountability for wartime sexual violence within the
UN agenda on women, peace and security. The study offers a unique contribution to the
growing body of literature on Resolution 1325 by reviewing how the issue of accountability
for sexual violence has been treated in peace agreements signed since its adoption
in October 2000. The author triangulates data collected from peace agreements
with interviews with elite peacemaking practitioners to establish that justice for
victims of sexual violence continues to be side-lined. The central argument of this
article is that the lack of attention to accountability for sexual violence is symptomatic
of larger problems within the UN agenda which is underpinned by a masculinized perception
of accountability limited to sanctions and punishment and a narrow focus on
sexual violence as a weapon of war. The author argues that unless a holistic approach
to justice and accountability and a broader concern with gender-based violence are
adopted, the UN’s aim of ending impunity for wartime sexual violence will remain
unfulfilled.