Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-19-2019
Department 1
Political Science
Abstract
Existing research on conflict-related sexual violence focuses on the motivations of perpetrators and effects on survivors. What remains less clear is how postconflict societies respond to the hardships survivors face. In survey experiments in Bosnia, we examine public support for financial aid, legal aid, and public recognition for survivors. First, we find a persistent ethnocentric view of sexual violence, where respondents are less supportive when the perpetrator is identified as co-ethnic and survivors are perceived as out-groups. Second, respondents are less supportive of male survivors than female survivors, which we attribute to social stigmas surrounding same-gender sexual activity. Consistent with our argument, those who are intolerant of homosexuality are especially averse to providing aid to male survivors. This study points to the long-term challenges survivors face due to ethnic divisions and social stigmatization from sexual violence.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
DOI
10.1177/0022002719867473
Version
Post-Print
Recommended Citation
Page, Douglas and Samuel Whitt. (2019). Confronting Wartime Sexual Violence: Public Support for Survivors in Bosnia. Journal of Conflict Resolution 64(4), 674–702.
Required Publisher's Statement
This article is available on the publisher's website: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022002719867473
Included in
Health Policy Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Political Science Commons