Sexual Assault and Transitional Justice: How Argentina Can Provide a Voice to its Silenced Survivors
By: Katie Pearson '14
Advising Faculty: Alex Hybel
This honors thesis investigates the Argentine government's lack of judicial investigation and prosecution of the systematic use of sexual violence in the nation's clandestine detention centers during the National Reorganization Process (1976-1983).
Scholarly theories as to why rape is committed during armed conflict are reviewed, providing insight into the complexities of rape culture that historically limited prosecutors from choosing to investigate allegations of sexual violence. By analyzing the historic international normalization of the prosecution of rape as a war crime, this investigation argues that Argentina's current Prosecutor's Office has the jurisprudence to prosecute NRP officials for institutionally condoned sex crimes. However, despite the authority to do so, no such such charges have been made.
Related Fields: Global/International, Government, International Relations