Bodies as Battlegrounds: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in the Ongoing Sudan Civil War

The practice of raping women belonging to the community of the defeated or conflicting party, is worldwide and is found in every culture. It is usually seen as the ultimate expression of contempt for the rival as it is considered to symbolize their incapability to protect their women who are considered “the bearers of culture”. Feminists such as Arlene Eisen have classified rape as “classic act of terrorism which not only serves the political function of intimidating a rebellious population, but also allows the rapist to reassert his manhood". Rape is just one such violence. Sexual violence has a broader ambit to cover acts such as sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, abduction etc. This shows how sexual violence is normalized and categorised as a “socially acceptable” consequence of the conflict in a territory. It is considered a part of the repertoire of combatants inflicting violence. The main questions that come into one’s mind are (1) Why is such a brutal act normalised as a justified consequence of war? (2) What are the factors influencing the creation of such a normative? (3) What are the physical, psychological and social consequences on the survivors? The research aims to answer these questions focussing on the main argument that CRSV (Conflict-Related Sexual Violence) is not a mere byproduct of conflict but rather a deep-rooted issue with broader consequences. This would be done by framing the argument around the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which is widely ignored in the international domain, with less to none effective measures to end the conflict and provide humanitarian access to the survivors. The continuation of the conflict to date with the increasing number of victims is a living example. The research draws on supportive arguments and statements made by feminist scholars such as Susan Brownmiller, Arlene Eisen, Gerda Lerner etc. to provide a clear explanation on every question. To navigate, the paper will proceed as follows: firstly, it gives a brief introduction to the topic and places it within the ongoing Sudan conflict; secondly, it provides a quick theoretical framework giving a short clear understanding of how CRSV is understood with regards to the realist IR theory as compared to the Feminist IR theory; next it provides a short history of the conflict supplemented with additional information in the footnotes; the subsequent section would focus on the main subject of the paper to give a clear understanding of the concept of CRSV and the various debates surrounding it and, it describes the present prevalence in the conflict with evidence collected from various sources such as newspaper articles, published reports by international organizations, victim statements during news interviews etc. Lastly, as a conclusion it would describe and underscore the desperate need for international intervention and humanitarian access in order to mitigate its long-term impact on the Sudanese population.