Proposed Special Issue of the *African Studies Review*: “Assessing the
Impact of International Human Rights Rhetoric on African Lives: The Case of
Gender-Based Violence”
Edited by Tonia St.Germain, J.D. and Susan Dewey, Ph.D.
A significant gap exists between the discourses and practices of
international human rights law throughout the world, and this is
particularly pronounced in the case of gender-based violence (GBV) in
Africa. Accordingly, this special issue will bring together research
assessing the impact of anti-GBV legislation and policy throughout Africa,
with a particular focus upon African women’s everyday experiences of it in
zones of both conflict and peace. This is a timely topic given the amount of
international attention GBV has begun to draw in the international political
sphere. In observance of International Women’s Day in 2009, United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described violence against women as “an attack
on all of us…that destroys health, perpetuates poverty [and] strikes against
equality and empowerment” (United Nations 2009). An estimated 80% of
refugees/displaced persons fleeing contemporary conflict are women and
children, all of whom are uniquely vulnerable to gender-based violence in
the form of rape, sex trafficking, forced marriage or pregnancy and
associated HIV infection (Carpenter 2007; Enloe 2000; Mertus 2000;
Stiglmayer 1994).
Yet such gendered risks are by no means confined to conflict zones, as
women, girls and GLBTQ persons are routinely victimized through domestic
violence, harmful cultural practices, and the feminization of poverty even
in peacetime. Scholars have argued that noble rhetoric such as gender
mainstreaming, and the “women’s rights are human rights” campaign ignore the
fact that violence against women continues to be an unavoidable reality in
most post-conflict and peace zones (Meintjes, Turshen and Pillay 2002;
Mookherjee 2009; Tiessen 2007). This special issue will address the very
real harm that victims of gender-based violence suffer while offering
recommendations on how law, policy and financial resources could more
effectively address these issues in Africa from a gender-sensitive
perspective.
We particularly welcome papers that deal with the following: [1] the
international women’s movement as it relates to GBV; [2] agenda-based
responses to GBV, including amongst religious and feminist organizations and
the “aid” they bring to girls, women, and GLBTQ persons (Coomaraswamy 2002);
[3] the failure of such legislation and/or policy, whether in terms of lack
of political will or particular gendered cultural practices embedded at the
community level; [4] special issues related to medical and social service
provision to victims in specific African cultural contexts.
This compilation seeks to challenge the limited scope of current published
research by encouraging contributions from outside North America and Europe.
Papers based upon research in any area of Africa are welcome. Papers that
use gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation as a category of
analysis are encouraged. Only original work will be accepted, and six to
eight papers will be chosen from the submissions. Papers should by
approximately 10,000 words excluding notes and bibliography. Please send a
250 word abstract to susancdewey@gmail.com by May 1, 2010. Completed paper
submission date is September 1, 2010.
Works Cited
Carpenter, Charli, ed. 2007 Born of War: Protecting Children of Sexual
Violence Survivors in Conflict Zones. Kumarian Press.
Coomaraswamy, Radhika. Report to U.N. Commission on Human Rights, 10 April
2002.
Enloe, Cynthia 2000 Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing
Women’s Lives.
Berkeley: The University of California Press.
Fisher, Siobhan 1996 Occupation of the Womb: Forced Impregnation as
Genocide. Duke Law
Journal 46(73): 91-133.
Meintjes, Sheila, Meredith Turshen and Anu Pillay 2002 The Aftermath: Women
in Post-
Conflict Transformation. Zed Books.
Mertus, Julie 2000 War’s Offensive on Women: The Humanitarian Challenge in
Bosnia, Kosovo
and Afghanistan. Kumarian Press.
Mookherjee, Monica 2009 Women’s Rights as Multicultural Claims:
Reconfiguring Gender and
Diversity in Political Philosophy. Edinburgh University Press.
Stiglmayer, Alexandra, ed. 1994 Mass Rape: The War Against Women in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
University of Nebraska Press.
Tiessen, Rebecca 2007 Everywhere/Nowhere: Gender Mainstreaming in
Development Agencies.
Kumarian Press.
United Nations 2009 “Violence Against Women ‘An Attack on all of us”,
Declares Secretary General as U.N. Holds Event to Commemorate
International Day.”