The Rwandan Genocide And The Civil War - 1773 Words

Introduction The Rwandan genocide was a period of the Rwandan civil war where the Rwandan armed forces and Hutus killed at least 500 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus from April 6 to July 15, 1994 (Rwandan Genocide, 2016). Women were particularly victimized and continue to be affected today by the genocide because of the lasting impacts including trauma from sexual violence, suffering from the intentional transmission of HIV, and being forced to bear children of rape (Mullins, 2009, 722; Donovan, 2002, 17; Human Rights Watch, 2006). However, women were granted some restitution through traditional community justice, the Gacaca courts, with some women even holding positions as judges (Ka Hon Chu de Brouwer, 2011, 203; Issifu, 2015, 71).†¦show more content†¦It was not until April 6, 1994 that the official genocide begun when the Rwandan president Habyarimana was assassinated and all Tutsis were ordered to be killed, more than 500 000 of them by the end of the genocide in July 1994 (Powell, 20 15). The genocide ended and a new government was set up when the RPF captured the capital city, Kigali, but still there remains lingering tension in the region today (Powell, 2015). Sexual Violence as a Method of Genocide Sexual violence, including rape and the intentional spreading of HIV, was a common way of perpetrating genocide against Tutsi women. As discussed by Dorris Buss (2009, 145-146), feminists have argued that rape is not just a by-product of violence, but something that is planned and used intentionally as a method of destruction against the enemy. Consequently, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda classed rape as a crime against humanity as it was done with the intention to destroy the Tutsi population because of their racial background (Buss, 2009, 150). Specifically, rape was used to disgrace the Tutsi women’s identity and humiliate Tutsi society more broadly, in addition to creating mixed-race children that would serve as a reminder of their degradation (Mullins, 2009, 722). Mullins expands on this by adding that rape was used as a mechanism to heighten fear and domination over Tutsi women and to terrorize them and their famili es, as their husbands andShow MoreRelatedA Look at the Rwandan Genocide Essay1014 Words   |  5 Pageseconomies. People are suffering and have very little hope. 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