ABSTRACT

This chapter argues for a feminist political economy (FPE) approach, which provides useful conceptual tools for understanding the motivations and effects of sexual violence in armed conflict. It begins by outlining an FPE approach to understanding conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and its capacity to shed new light on the causes and consequences of sexual violence against men and boys. The chapter explores the conditions whereby the sexual violation of men and boys elicits symbolic and material value, making it an attractive means by which armed groups achieve particular wartime objectives. It analyzes of two ‘types’ of CRSV commonly experienced by men and boys: sexual violence as an instrument of torture perpetrated by repressive state forces; and sexual violence as a weapon of war. In 2012, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, Zainab Bangura, noted explicitly for the first time that men and boys are also often victims of CRSV.