The Securitization of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Against Women and the Myth of Protection in War : A (Feminist) Critical Discourse Analysis of the United Nations Security Council's Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security from 2000-2009

Abstract: The inclusion of women in security at the highest institutional level the United Nations Security Council through its Resolution 1325, which passed unanimously in 2000, has been hailed as a monumental achievement for feminists. However, scholars have argued that the feminist agenda got lost in the (masculine) Security Council, as gendered stereotypes are reinforced through the Council’s resolutions, with the potential utilization of those stereotypes to justify continued militarism. This is discussed through a (feminist) critical discourse analysis of the Council’s resolutions on Women, Peace and Security from 2000-2009, to discern how the discursive victimization and feminization of women led to the securitization of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Securitizing CRSV, recognized as a symptom of war that disproportionately affect women, works to challenge the myth the wars are fought to protect women. However, the securitization of CRSV at the highest institutional level simultaneously grants legitimacy, through association with the Council, to actors using the discourse of protecting women to enter military action.