military personnel, many of them also having been videotaped or photographed naked – all in violation of the human right to security of the person and 1949 Geneva Convention No. The following facts, drawn from current and recent armed conflicts worldwide, suggest that Resolution 1325 and other legally binding instruments intended to safeguard human rights in wartime and postwar situations are honored more in their breach than in their observance.ġ - Minimum number of 42 female detainees raped at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison pre-2004 while being interrogated by male U.S. A recent recognition of this truth, adopted unanimously and legally binding on all states, is UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 31 October 2000, calling for the adoption of “a gender perspective” in conflict and post-conflict settings and reaffirming “the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.” Yet, as soldiers themselves, as victims of sexual violence, as refugees, and in other ways, women are also greatly harmed by armed conflict.

The price of war is commonly assumed to be paid primarily by men.

Prepared by The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR)*

Armed conflict and women's rights