| Rape is an awful crime, regardless of the circumstances. Rape, when used as a weapon of war tears apart communities, humiliates households and destroys individuals. Despite efforts to combat the phenomenon, rape is still used as weapon both during and outside of conflict.;The research question this paper attempts to answer is; the least condemned war crime: Why is rape such an effective weapon of war? Two aspects of the use of rape as a weapon of war are thus addressed, the effectiveness of the weapon, as well as the low level of condemnation, as manifested in the rampant impunity surrounding it.;A discussion on the development of the concept of rape as a weapon provides historical insight. A case study of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is used to illustrate the reasons behind the use of rape as the weapon of choice and to study the effects of prolonged, unpunished use of rape as a weapon on society. This case study allows for discussions on the reasons why rape is 'the least condemned war crime' and why rape is such an effective weapon. It is followed by an analysis of the available prevention and counter measures, which aid in the formation of a conclusion on the aforementioned topics.;The conclusion of the paper shows that rape is an effective weapon due to its ability to destroy more than the individual victim. The fact that women are more often than men the victim, leads to it being less condemned than other war crimes and if it is allowed to continue for prolonged periods of time, the consequence is the normalization of rape, and the destruction of social norms. |
