Military and Crimes Against Women
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
Rape has been a consequence of military missions from at least the time of recorded history. Even though rape laws have historically provided harsh punishment for rape – death – the act of wartime rape continued. Ad hoc international criminal trials were convened to dispose of offenders charged with violating the laws of war, which proscribed rape. The Articles of War were initially used domestically to regulate the United States military. Significant changes to US military laws prohibiting crimes against women resulted from several military sexual scandals. Numerous reports of sexual assault by active duty servicewomen serving in combat zones during the war in Iraq served as a catalyst to Congress's emphasis on sexual assault.
Publication Title
The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime
Recommended Citation
M. C. Cox, Military and Crimes Against Women, in The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime, Ed. Frances E. Bernat & Kelly Frailing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2019.
Available at: https://scholarship.law.campbell.edu/fac_pubs/99