 Consolidating and contesting violence: exploring the legal dimensions of sexual violence in conflict in the Democratic Republic of the CongoBilge Sahin Chapter 26 in Research Handbook on Gender, Violence and Law, 2026, pp 425-440 from Edward Elgar Publishing Abstract: This chapter explores the intricate relationship between law and violence, revealing how legal frameworks can both consolidate violence through gendered power dynamics and be contested by survivors of sexual violence. First, this chapter argues that law has the power to control and define violence. At the same time, it perpetuates gendered violence through language and representational practices, denying the experiences of survivors and streamlining different ways of knowing. This chapter examines the legal framework in the DRC on sexual violence to explore whether law can guarantee women's rights or whether law instead reproduces gendered norms and thereby perpetuates violence. This chapter then delves into how Congolese survivors of sexual violence leverage legal avenues to secure recognition, empowerment and essential rights. The aim is to show how women transcend limitations imposed by gendered violence in legal frameworks, actively seeking justice and survival. Keywords: Sexual Violence in Conflict; DRC; International Law; Constitutional Law; Criminal Law; Vernacular Justice (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:22689_26 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing |
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