Journal Citation:
30(2) BERKELEY JOURNAL OF GENDER, LAW AND JUSTICE, 268-322 (2015)
This article argues that reconciliation
initiatives and redress tend to overlook
the unique harms that sexual violence
inflicts on women of colour. Women of
colour are placed, by virtue of their race
and gender, at the bottom of the social
hierarchy, which makes them particularly
vulnerable to sexual violence. In
addition, the author claims that the
unique harms they suffer as a result of
sexual violence, including irreparable
reproductive damage, broken relationships,
economic hardships, stigma, isolation, and
shame, are rendered nearly invisible by
implicit intersectional bias in redress.
Through an analysis of post-colonial
redress efforts, British High Court
rulings, and the 2013 British government's
reparations settlement, this article
encourages a more comprehensive form of
redress that identifies multilayered,
intersectional harms. The intersection of
race and sexual violence forms a critical
component of the redress process, and
should inform the definition of harms,
crimes, violations, beneficiaries, and
overall implementation of policies and
programs.