The path towards the legal recognition of sexual violence against women in times of war

Abstract

This article explores the process of construction of an international legal order law that addresses the phenomenon of sexual violence against women in contexts of armed conflict. It will first analyzing the scope of the paradigm shift achieved in the 1990s with the typification and prosecution of sexual violence against women in armed conflicts in the field of international criminal justice and, ultimately, it will identify possible elements on which International Law should keep making progresses in order to recognize the legal status of women without reproducing the unique image of the woman as a victim.