Pride and prejudice, war and rape: a study on sexual violence against women in the context of armed conflicts

This is a study on the rape of women in war contexts. Starting from the premise that female autonomy of will falls under the scope of protection of the International Human Rights System, the aim is to prove that the responsibility of states in dealing with the rape of women in the midst of war is independent of specific mechanisms, as it already rests on adjacent instruments. To this end, cases of sexual violence in armed conflicts were stratified, identifying the profile of the victims, the driving circumstances and the relationship between rape and autonomy of will. And, after analyzing the sexual protection of women in the UN and Inter-American systems, it was proven that, based on a systematic analysis of the International Human Rights System, states have a cogent responsibility to confront all sexual violence against women. Thus, using primarily the hypothetical-deductive method, this study is presented as an exploratory investigation, based mainly on bibliographical research. This research, which is directly in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5, which advocates achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, is justified by the social and legal relevance of analyzing gender issues in situations of serious humanitarian crises.