This study examines sexual violence against women in armed conflict settings as a form of discrimination within the framework of CEDAW. Informed by Judith Butler's theory of Gender Performativity emphasizes that gender is socially constructed. This study utilizes existing literature reviews and reports; the analysis focuses on gender-based violence, revealing its structural nature. Using the Democratic Republic of Congo as a case study, it highlights the interplay of ethnic, political, and economic factors leading to extreme violence. The study emphasizes the authority of the CEDAW committee to propose an inclusive and understandable protocol, protecting women's rights universally. Overcoming barriers like structural discrimination is crucial to strengthening CEDAW's response. The study acknowledges the need to avoid generalizations and underscores the urgency of enhancing the existing framework to protect women during armed conflicts. It contributes to human rights discourse by emphasizing the inherent nature of human rights and equal protection for all individuals.

The term “shadow pandemic” arose along with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic globally, referring to the parallel increase of gender-based violence (GBV) as a result of lockdowns, preventive measures and economic hardships in almost every nation worldwide, including Ethiopia, with one of the highest rates of GBV in the world. With limited physical access to essential services and support, information and communication(ICT) services became an important factor to rely on. Based on interviews with four Ethiopian organisations working with women’s health and rights, this study investigates how ICT services were implemented to support victims of GBV during COVID-19 in Ethiopia, including the facilitators and barriers to using these services for women seeking support and information. The study finds that all four organisations either created new or scaled up existing ICT services during COVID-19. The ICT services provided by the organisations were mainly telephone helplines, while interactive voice response services and mobile chat applications were also provided as channels for support. The identified facilitators and barriers to using these ICT services were related to accessibility and technology, language and cultural traditions, and anonymity and security. While the use of ICT services for victims of GBV seems to be a functioning option for many when the access to in-person support is limited, barriers such as the lack and disruption of networks and telephones still pose a significant challenge for women in rural areas to use the support systems provided by the organisations. A postcolonial feminist approach to the findings highlights the need for a contextualisation of the services and the need to move away from simplistic assumptions that access to services automatically leads to active use and empowerment, and the need to work with an intersectional lens and multiple layers of analysis when battling sensitive issues like GBV in areas where harmful practices are part of longstanding cultural traditions, to ensure access and active use for groups in different contexts and areas throughout the country.

Yemen is a conflict ridden country facing humanitarian issues as well as high levels of inequality, both due to the conflict itself but also the patriarchal hierarchy and customs that elevates men above women. The population of Yemen faces inequality in more than one way, however this study will be focusing on the recurring gender-based violence.  Gender-based violence is a widespread phenomenon and something that affects more than a third of women globally, whether it be through physical violence or more invisible forms such as emotional or financial abuse. This study will focus mainly on the physical abuse, including sexual violence in relation to the ongoing conflict, as well as harmful customs and practices that exists in Yemen. By using an intersectional framework and horizontal inequality the objective of this thesis is to examine how different social factors contribute to increasing gender-based violence. Moreover, this research aims to investigate the role of international organizations in relation to gender inequality and gender-based violence in a conflict ridden country, as well as potential initiatives done by the state of Yemen.  In conclusion, this study emphasizes how critical it is to adapt interventions to the specific obstacles suffered by women in conflict areas in order to assist with upcoming initiatives supporting women's empowerment and gender equality in Yemen and other similar circumstances. Additionally, this thesis concludes the importance of implementing both intersectionality and horizontal inequality as frameworks both on Yemen as a case study and on gender-based violence generally, as the issues are broad and fueled by many contributing factors. This is also what is missing from earlier research, broad and inclusive theories that can be applied to the specific case of gender-based violence in Yemen.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) involves aggressive or abusive behaviour that harms or intimidates a current or former romantic partner. Although sexual and gender diverse (2S/LGBTQIA+) people may disproportionately experience IPV, their experiences are not well documented in the Canadian context. This multi-methods qualitative study documents 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors’ experiences with IPV and access to related services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via in-depth interviews with survivors and service providers. Survivors experienced multiple, concurrent forms of abuse that contributed to poor mental health outcomes, both of which were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Survivors had difficulty recognizing themselves as victims and were unaware of services. Services are insufficiently funded and unable to meet the needs of their communities. Gender-based violence organizations want to serve transgender women and transfeminine people but second-wave feminist frameworks in policy and funding mechanisms are a barrier to expanding services. Service providers need predictable, annualized funding, must improve outreach, and shift to an intersectional feminist framework that includes 2S/LGBTQIA+ people. Comprehensive sexual health education and regular IPV screenings by mental health professionals are crucial for IPV prevention.

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This paper focuses on the topic of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) – forms of violence and abuse perpetrated against individuals on the basis of gender in online spaces or through technological means. It is a recent and highly pervasive issue that the activist, academic and development worlds are working to define. Those working on the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) have begun to re-frame the issue of harassment and abuse experienced online or through technology as a form of violence by placing it on a continuum of violence. By furthermore noting its gendered nature, they have situated it as a form of gender-based violence. While a variety of terminology has been employed to describe how such violence is committed, who is targeted and how they experience it the field of GBV is still working towards a discursive consensus.  This paper takes the stance that the language we use to define and frame social issues is of critical importance because it can influence wider social change. Accordingly, critical discourse analysis will be employed to consider to what extent the discourse of technology figures into the wider discourse on gender-based violence. So as to narrow the focus of the analysis, this paper will look at the discourse around GBV produced by actors in the international development field, considering that social norms change is a primary focus within programming and activities around gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence. For this, the analysis will consider the 2021 iteration of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence movement and campaign, looking at social media content posted during the core campaign period (25 November - 10 December 2021).

The purpose of this study is to examine the discourse surrounding sexual assault and policy change in the U.S. military. As rhetoricians continue to embrace public sphere theory, the field has started asking what rhetoric's role is in solving public problems. My research questions were twofold: how do rhetorical processes construct social realities around sexual assault and how have these processes impacted policy change? These questions seek to further examine the rhetorical nature of publics and public spheres, specifically those surrounding the military and its interaction with the civilian public. In order to answer these questions, the case studies herein make use of rhetorical histories, grounded theory, discourse analysis, and public sphere theory. Also integral to these cases is the study of anger as a rhetorical force. The role of anger in this discourse is important, as it informs the narrative that grows out of each case study and it shapes public response to formerly private problems. Rhetoric's intervention in these cases shows the power of policy, language, and the material impact of both. The major guiding principle of my methodology is that institutions are shaped and brought to life through rhetorical processes and that these processes construct social reality inside and out of the institution in question. This dissertation examines public facing documents – memos, press releases, speeches, interviews, and leaked documents – and arranges them chronologically to offer a broader view of the discourse around sexual assault in context. The two case studies examine how the culture reinforced by uniform and fitness policies enact gender-based violence and follow the public responses to these incidents. / Doctor of Philosophy / The rise in high-profile sexual assault cases in the United States has drawn public attention to the high rates of sexual and gender-based violence in some of our most important and visible institutions, including our athletic teams, our universities, and our military. Anger plays a predominant role in the public reaction to each new allegation and it shapes the conversations happening around incidents of gender-based violence as public awareness grows. What impact does public anger have on the discourse surrounding these incidents? This study explores the impact of public anger after two major sexual assault scandals in the U.S. military broke headlines: Tailhook in 1991 and the United States Air Force Academy in 2003. A decade apart, these scandals rocked the nation and its trust in the military; they also triggered rapid policy change and growth regarding women's place in the military and how future incidents would be handled.

This study identifies factors that fosters and hinders coordination among key agencies operating in One-Stop Centers in Zambia such as the police, health and social welfare that provide coordinated medical, social and legal services to the victims of gender-based violence. This is a primary qualitative study in which data was collected using interviews from participants selected from the key agencies operating from five One-Stop Centers in Lusaka province of the Republic of Zambia. Thematic content analysis was used to generate categories of data with similar meaning based on frequently recurring themes. Findings showed that although there is positive coordination among One-Stop Center agency players, there are a host of coordination challenges among them. The study gathered that information sharing, communication, clearly defined goals and agreed outcome, increased knowledge of inter-disciplinary roles and inter-agency philosophy foster effective inter-agency coordination among key players in One Stop centers . On the other hand, hindering factors such as lack of adequate resources, high attrition of staff, loss of membership interest and commitment, and lack of motivation and heavy reliance on unmotivated volunteers were identified as major setbacks to effective operation of One-Stop Centers in Zambia. The study further found that adequate allocation of resources, joint capacity building trainings and permanent attachment of staff to One-Stop Centers as panacea to the various challenges that encumber effective operation in One-Stop centers in Zambia. Implications and future research direction are discussed.

In Leiden, The Netherlands following recent incidents of street harassment young women have expressed their concerns: they want to be able to live a normal life. The response given from the authorities to young women was to be extra vigilant. Street harassment is defined as an intimidating approach by a stranger in public. Studies show that women are more often the victim of general discourtesy and harassment in public places compared to men. Street harassment has proven to have physical, mental, and emotional effect on its target. The aim of this study was to understand how Leiden makes the city safer for women and how young women perceive these approaches. This study is part of a research project named ‘Leren met de Stad’ translated into Learning with the City. The data of this study was collected through semi-structured interviews with three individuals from the authorities and a focus group interview of six young women. The qualitative data of this study was processed through a six-phase thematic analysis. The results indicated that as for now the effort to prevent or decrease street harassment is not high on the agenda of Leiden due to minimal reports of street harassment incidents. The young women who participated in this study addressed the normalization from society, negligent behaviours from the authorities and the importance of providing a solution for an issue that according to them is urgent. The conclusion of this study is that there should be a strong desire to positively change social norms on all societal levels, create more awareness and cooperation between authorities to improve the safety of women in Leiden.