Citation

Henry N. Violence Against Women 2010; 16(10): 1098-1119.

Affiliation

La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. n.henry@latrobe.edu.au.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801210382860

PMID

20980230

Abstract

Testimonies of wartime sexual violence contribute to the recognition of rape as a serious human rights violation. Although acknowledgement and justice are imperative to ending silence and impunity, this article critiques some commonly held therapeutic assumptions about disclosure through examining the way so-called "unspeakable" events are communicated through legal discourse. In this article, the author explores the inherent limitations of language for bearing witness to wartime rape, specifically focusing on international war crimes tribunals. The author argues that trials contribute to the impossibility of bearing witness through both the appropriation of trauma and the failure of law to accommodate traumatic experiences.

Language: en