War Crimes Against Women: Prosecution in International War Crimes Tribunals

This text examines the laws and customs of war prohibiting rape crimes dating back thousands of years and surveys the historical treatment of women in wartime. The author argues that all the various forms of gender-specific crimes must be prosecuted and punished. The book reviews the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crimes Tribunals from a gendered perspective, discusses how crimes against women could have been prosecuted in these tribunals, and suggests explanations as to why they were neglected. Kelly Askin also addresses the status of women in domestic and international law since the late-19th century, including the years preceding World War II and the Yugoslav conflict. She reviews gender-specific crimes in the Yugoslav conflict and presents arguments as to how and why they must be prosecuted under Articles two-five of the Yugoslav Statute - as grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity.