ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the gender competence, experience with cases of rape and sexual violence, and attitudes and feelings towards survivors of sexual violence of court members. It highlights Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with those who have survived assault in order to assess their notions about rape and sexual violence, their attitudes and behaviors towards survivors and the courts, and their evaluation of the wide spectrum of protective measures. The book focuses on the cases of rape and sexual violence related to war crimes that have come before the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and War Crimes Court (WCC). Nicola Gavey states, 'in the fight against rape, public rhetoric has tended to privilege one of the many contradictory broader cultural meanings of rape that is, its power to cause severe and irrevocable psychological harm to the victim.
