Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) is a global leader in advancing research, policy, and advocacy to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict and crisis settings. GIWPS situates conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as both a human rights violation and a core security challenge, with enduring impacts on survivors, families, and communities. Through rigorous scholarship and high-level convenings, the Institute elevates survivor-centered strategies that integrate accountability, access to services, reparations, and stigma reduction.

Landmark reports such as Pathways to Justice and Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Survivor-Centered Strategies to Combat CRSV highlight lessons from conflicts in Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Colombia, offering practical policy recommendations for more holistic approaches. The Institute’s work on CRSV also examines the role of sanctions, accountability mechanisms, and trauma-informed documentation to combat impunity. 

Beyond research, GIWPS engages in advocacy and high-level global convenings, ensuring CRSV remains central to the international peace and security agenda. By combining evidence-based analysis with survivor voices and global policy influence, GIWPS works to shift norms, strengthen pathways to justice, and ensure that responses to CRSV are holistic, inclusive, and sustainable.