Legislative Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

• In Event: Activism against, and Accountability for, Sexual Violence in the Global South

Abstract

Why do some governments adopt accountability for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV)? While extensive research examined criminal prosecution as a state’s response to CRSV, little research examines how legal measures are adopted to address demands for justice. Legislative accountability is an accountability measure that adopts legal or policy reforms to prevent and deter CRSV. Using an original dataset on domestic accountability for CRSV in conflict-affected states in Africa and Asia between 1998 and 2018, I find that women’s protests and involvement in international non-governmental organizations play a key role in installing legislative accountability at the domestic level. When faced with pressures from these groups, governments are likely to adopt legislative measures to avoid further responsibility and restore their legitimacy, which I propose as a ’covering’ mechanism. I argue that this is more likely under governments that are culpable of CRSV as framing accountability around prevention helps them address the pressures without disclosing past abuses. By conducting the first cross-national time series analysis of domestic accountability for CRSV, this paper contributes to the existing literature studying women’s agents as key actors in installing gender justice and gender reforms (Htun and Weldon 2018; Tripp 2015). It also expands the discus sion of transitional justice beyond criminal prosecution and suggests the importance of examining the variation of accountability at the domestic level. The research also implies that local women’s empowerment should be the priority when ending impunity for CRSV.

Author

• Sumin Lee, Texas A&M University