Sexual violence was used during the fall of Berlin by all the armed forces involved (Photo: Jan Saudek)
A new and compelling exhibition at the Imperial War Museum explores the often ignored and taboo subject of sexual violence in conflict.
Sensitively done, it analyses different instances of sexual violence in wars from 1914 onwards. It draws on survivor testimonies and places these in the context of sexism and gender norms.
And, most importantly, it recognises that all forms of sexual violence during a conflict are a war crime in and of themselves.
The exhibition acknowledges that rape in particular can be used on a mass scale as a weapon of war. For example, Serbian nationalist forces used this as part of their ethnic cleansing against Bosnian Muslims during the Yugoslav civil wars in the 1990s.
The exhibition looks at United States forces’ torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib after the invasion of Iraq in the 2000s. And a less well-known example it highlights is the sexual abuse of children evacuated from cities to the countryside in Britain during the Second World War.
However, there is a definite downplaying of sexual violence committed by Western militaries and civilians.
One case study focuses on the fall of Berlin in 1945 and emphasises Russian dictator Joseph Stalin’s encouragement of sexual violence by the Red Army. It then notes that, although British, French and US forces also committed these acts, “this was not endorsed by Allied high command”.
But several historians have documented that violence increased especially after British forces crossed the border into Germany.
Military authorities, for instance, recorded that there was a “rise of indecency with children”. Historian Sean Longden says that while the army “attempted to investigate allegations, and some men were convicted, it was an issue that received little publicity”.
In fact, the exhibition displays a guide produced for Allied soldiers during the liberation of Italy. It makes frequent references to the idea that women being “bold” or asking soldiers for cigarettes were undoubtedly sex workers and should be avoided.
So it’s unsurprising that the Allies wouldn’t take it seriously.
Another point of the exhibition that is lacking is the depth of inquiry into the interplay of gender dynamics and power.
It concludes that sexual violence in conflict happens due to patriarchy and ideas about women as passive objects and men as dominating subjects. But this doesn’t explain how cases such as female soldiers sexually abusing male prisoners in Abu Ghraib occurred.
The exhibition shows lots of posters, leaflets, advertising and other media that made sexist assumptions about men and women. They are snapshots of how sexist imagery and rhetoric is pushed from the top of society to justify and perpetuate women’s oppression.
Gender roles and sexist views of women are not natural but are forced down onto us. If we have that view, we can understand that sexual violence is rooted in a sexist system that shapes the behaviour of individuals.
Another missing element is the context of colonial warfare and the sexual violence that occurred.
For instance, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British frequently and fervently proclaimed that all white British women were at risk of sexual violence.
There were many false reports of Indian men raping British women that relied on racist tropes. The reality is that the great terror injected into these narratives served only to justify greater repression of Indians.
Overall, it is vital that an exhibition like this is taking place, especially in such a mainstream tourist attraction as the Imperial War Museum. And there are inspiring examples of resistance at the end of the exhibition.
For instance, since 1992 Korean women have protested every single Wednesday at the Japanese embassy in Seoul. They want formal recognition of the forced sexual slavery they endured as “comfort women” during the Second World War.
Amid the horror of war and violence, examples like that can give us hope.
- Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict is on at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ until 2 November.
