| Project period |
01.01.2025 – 31.12.2027
| Project staff |
Dr. Karin Johansson Schaftenaar (University of Uppsala, Principal Investigator)
| Funding |
Vetenskapsrådet/ Swedish Research Council
KFN
| Project description |
In 2008, the United Nations Security Council made a landmark decision to recognize conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as a serious international security issue. This move helped establish a global commitment to combatting CRSV, leading to a series of UN resolutions, new institutions, and various initiatives designed to curb the perpetration of sexual violence in war and support its victims. However, in recent years, there have been troubling signs of resistance to this progress. Some UN members, particularly those with anti-feminist agendas, as well as certain countries that had previously supported the fight against CRSV, are showing signs of stepping back from their commitments. This shift has largely evaded academic scrutiny, and we still don’t fully understand how widespread or impactful it may be.
To fill this gap, this project seeks to answer three key questions: 1) How is the global commitment to preventing CRSV being challenged? 2) How are countries that have been strong advocates for CRSV prevention (like Sweden and Germany) responding to this backlash? 3) What are the broader implications of this contestation for global efforts to combat CRSV? By analyzing official policies, public statements, budget data, as well as survey and interview data, we aim to provide valuable insights for both policymakers and scholars.