Mass Rape During War: Prosecuting Bosnian Rapists Under International Law

The author reviews the history of mass rape during war and the international legal provisions that can be invoked to punish the perpetrators. Part I evaluates the historical acceptance of rape as a by-product of war. Part II discusses mass rape as a weapon of genocide in Bosnia. Part III evaluates existing methods of international law that can be used to punish the violators. Part IV describes the statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) designed to prosecute Balkan criminals. Part V examines the reasons why the situation in Bosnia provides a particularly strong case for prosecuting rape as a war crime. Part VI concludes that existing substantive international law is sufficient to punish the perpetrators, and comments on the need to address procedural problems inherent in punishing rapists as war criminals, rather than pushing to have rape declared a "war crime". [Descriptors: Armed Conflict, International - Europe, International]