Violated or protected. Women's rights in armed conflicts after the Second World War

Abstract

From the contemporary legal perspective war atrocities have to be seen as mass violations of human rights. They affect all members of the society, regardless of their gender, age, skin color, nationality or ethnic origin. Women however, were and still are particularly vulnerable to all forms of such violations, in particular - becoming victims of various forms of violence. The aim of the paper is to answer the question of whether the legal and the actual position of women in the armed conflicts has changed in any terms. In order to achieve this goal, the most typical examples of violations of women's rights during present-day hostilities will be indicated and examined. Moreover, the Author will analyze international legislation having as object the protection of women in armed conflicts, in search for any evolution of that legal framework.