A multifactorial model of wartime rape

Sexual violence against women represents a horrifying social reality that continues to pervade contemporary war environments. The subject of wartime rape has gained increasing academic prominence since the mass rapes in the recent Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict. However, the current literature has paid little attention to the psychology of the offender; thus, the issue of wartime rape has remained perplexing. In response to some of the major shortcomings in the literature, namely a theoretical vacuum, this paper represents an integrative analysis of why soldiers rape in wartime. The examination of offender psychology through a variety of theoretical lenses enables an extensive analysis of individual, sociocultural, and situational variables that facilitate sexual aggression in wartime contexts. The incorporation of these variables into a comprehensive, multifactorial framework recognizes that wartime rape is a multidimensional phenomenon that has its roots in peacetime culture. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.