The Grip of Sexual Violence: Reading United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Human Security

Abstract

Discussions about human rights and security have become inextricably linked to concerns about sexual violence. Considering United Nations Security Council Resolutions on ‘human security’, along with related debates and media, this chapter situates the resolutions within three broad trends in human rights law and discourse: (1) increased attention to sexual violence, even as against gender-based violence against women; (2) increased reliance on criminal law to fight against impunity; and (3) celebrity calls for first-world solidarity with primarily third-world victims of human rights violations. Tracing the trajectory of the resolutions from concerns about violence against women in conflict to focused attention on sexual violence against all civilians, the chapter explores the consequences of this hyper-attention to sexual violence and critically interrogates settled assumptions about its harm.