ABSTRACT
The issue of conflict-related rape and sexual violence illuminates a fundamental interplay of continuity and progress. In March 2015, military commanders from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a declaration to combat sexual violence in war. In May 2015, the Croatian parliament adopted a new law which provides survivors of rape and sexual violence committed during the war in Croatia with a comprehensive range of rights, from compensation and health insurance to psycho-social assistance and legal support. The recurrent use of rape and sexual violence in war has inevitably given rise to a wealth of different causal theories, from biological and social constructivist accounts to purposive/strategic and feminist explanations. The use of rape and sexual violence in conflict highlights a fundamental disconnect between formal rules of war and the informal codes of conduct that develop and solidify on the battlefield.
