peace research institute oslo svac s exual v iolence in a rmed c onflict data collection, challenges...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Peace Research Institute Oslo
SVACSexual Violence in Armed
Conflict
Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings
Oslo, November 2010
Ragnhild Nordås, PRIO and Notre DameDara K. Cohen, University of Minnesota
Outline
• About the project•Motivation• Data collection• Preliminary results• Lessons and future work
![Page 2: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
2
SVAC - Motivation and backdrop
• “Rape is one of the greatest peace and security challenges
of our time.” UN secretary-general's special representative on
sexual violence in conflict, Margot Wallstrom
• Current data are mostly case studies, focused on the same cases of the worst sexual violence (Bosnia and Rwanda)– A better research design would analyze a universe of all
cases, including where sexual violence occurred and where it did not
To devise an effective prevention strategy, more systematic knowledge is needed
![Page 3: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
3
Project goal
• Forecasting for prevention• Data needs – A comprehensive dataset on sexual violence in armed conflict
1989-2009 by all major actor types (state and non-state)• First step: Pilot project on conflicts in Africa, 2000-2009
– Pilot project funding: Grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sept-Dec 2010)
• Second step: Additional years and geographic regions– Research suggests that the problem is worldwide, not
only Africa (Cohen 2010)– Pending additional funding
• Long-term goal– To guide policymakers towards more effective measures
against sexual violence in armed conflict and post-conflict situations
![Page 4: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
4
SVAC project staff
• Head researchers
Inger Skjelsbæk Dara Kay Cohen Ragnhild Nordås Scott Gates Håvard Strand
(Minnesota)
• Consultative group
Elisabeth Wood (Yale) Mia Bloom (Penn State) Chris Butler (New Mexico) Amelia Green (Yale)
![Page 5: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
5
UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset v4-2009
1
2
3
Pilot: Region 1, conflicts active in 2000-2009
![Page 6: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
6
SVAC data: What is sexual violence and ”armed conflict?”
• SVAC will use the International Criminal Court (ICC) definition: – includes rape, sexual mutilation, sexual slavery, enforced
prostitution, forced pregnancy, and enforced sterilization – importantly, definition does not exclude the existence of female
perpetrators and male victims of sexual violence • SVAC uses the UCDP definition (dataset) on Armed Conflict: – Defines conflict as “a contested incompatibility that concerns
government and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths”• ”war” = 1000 battle-related deaths in a calendar year
– Types of conflict: (1) Intrastate armed conflict(2) Internationalized internal armed conflict (3) Interstate conflicts
![Page 7: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
7
SVAC dataset: Unit of analysis
• Conflict-actor-year– A given conflict actor (state/militia group,
rebel group)– In a given conflict – In a given year• Example: the sexual violence perpetrated
by the RUF in Sierra Leone in 1995
![Page 8: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
8
SVAC dataset: Dimensions
• Perpetrators: Who commited the violence? (Armed group, ethnicity, gender)
• Victims: Who were the victims? (Gender, race, ethnicity, age)
• Magnitude: How intense was the violence? (Isolated incidents, widespread)
• Location: Where did the violence happen? (Part of the country, location)
• Timing: When did the violence happen? (Early in the war, during peace talks)
• Form: What types of sexual violence? (rape, gang rape, forced marriage)
![Page 9: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
9
Main data sources in pilot
• Five major data sources
1. US State Department Human Rights reports (annual)
2. Amnesty International 3. Human Rights Watch 4. International Crisis Group5. DCAF, Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict
![Page 10: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
10
Documentation and Reliability
• Conflict manuscripts – Background information in document with
searchable headings
• Coding decisions are double-checked for consistency– detect any misunderstandings and/or systematic
biases– calculate intercoder reliability scores
![Page 11: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
11
Pilot sample
• 28 armed conflicts total that are active in Africa in 2000-2009
• These involve 120 conflict actors • Initial phase of pilot are 8 high priority conflicts
RA #1 RA #2 RA #3 RA #4Sudan Sierra Leone Rwanda DRC
Eritrea Cote d’Ivoire Burundi Angola
Ethiopia Guinea Nigeria Uganda
Somalia Mali Central African Rep. Congo
Algeria Liberia Chad
Senegal
Guinea Bissau
![Page 12: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
12
Preliminary findings from first 8 countries
• There is variation in perpetration of sexual violence both across and within these conflicts
• Magnitude by actor group type– Most state actors are perpetrators– 25% of pro-government militias are perpetrators– Less than 50% of rebel groups are perpetrators
• Variation over time– Both state and non-state perpetrators refrained from
sexual violence in at least some years– Policy implication: Sexual violence is not a constant,
inevitable consequence of wartime
![Page 13: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
13
Preliminary findings: Post-conflict violence
• Data show sexual violence by armed groups continues after conflict– 25% of conflict actors engaged in some sexual violence post-
conflict
• Only focusing on the period of conflict misses the full scale of conflict-related sexual violence– Implications for policy: Peacekeeper presence should
continue even after deaths have stopped; peace processes should focus also on ceasing non-lethal violence
• Suggests that lethal violence is not perfectly correlated with sexual violence– Implications for research: Need to collect separate data and
to develop separate theories on sexual violence
![Page 14: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
14
Lessons: Measuring SV--Challenges/opportunities
• Policy memo on challenges and opportunities for cross-national data collection on SVAC (February 2011)• What are the challenges?• Biases in sources
– What is sexual violence? – Measuring magnitude• Under-reporting • Over-reporting• What counts?
– Beyond magnitude• Who are the perpetrators/victims• Locations of violations• Timing
![Page 15: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
15
Data/methods recommendations
• Importance of a clear, standard definition• Establishing a baseline measure from pre-
conflict• Data on both perpetrators/victims• Time-variant data• Location data• Data triangulation – verification from several
sources–More comprehensive search on selected
cases– Comprehensive and narrow search to be
compared for content
![Page 16: Peace Research Institute Oslo SVAC S exual V iolence in A rmed C onflict Data collection, challenges and preliminary findings Oslo, November 2010 Ragnhild](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022081520/56649cb55503460f94979759/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Peace Research Institute Oslo
Thank you
Conclusions
•Will be most comprehensive data collection• Funding• Policy briefs (2011)