The need for special protection of women as witnesses and victims in criminal proceedings, especially international ones, is a consequence of their traditionally unfavorable position throughout history, especially during armed conflicts. A woman, as a witness or witness-victim, often becomes a passive observer of the proceedings, whose rights are usually under secondary protection compared to the accused. International procedures are, in this light, even more specific. War rape is one of the least reported crimes. Here, rather than the element of satisfying sexual urges, perhaps the element of humiliating the victim by committing the act is more important.
Mirjana Milašinović, a master’s student at the Faculty of Law at the University of Banja Luka, wrote on the topic “Protection of Women before International Criminal Courts in Sexual Offenses Proceedings”. Mirjana is also a participant of the Academy for Gender Equality, an activity that was implemented in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
You can read the complete paper here.
