Wartime Sexual Violence: The Case of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

Abstract: The terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has in the recent year received much attention in the media for using sexual violence against women and girls in Iraq. This thesis investigates why sexual violence in wartime occurs by analysing the reasons for why ISIL uses sexual violence against women and girls in Iraq. Three theories are tested on the case of ISIL: the first is related to religious doctrines, in terms of how these may result in sexual violence; the second concerns how sexual violence can be used as a weapon of war; and the third suggests that sexual violence is used to uphold notions of masculinity. The methodological approach is qualitative content analysis of seven reports containing information about ISIL as a perpetrator of sexual violence, while taking on a constructivist standpoint and utilising social structures that form identities and create expectations on behaviours. The final findings demonstrate that the sexual violence committed by ISIL can be explained as a weapon of war and has been used against the Yezidi community strategically. Yet the underlying reason for why ISIL uses sexual violence is related to their religious doctrine which is justifying and encouraging sexual violence.