Defining rape at an international level. The contribution of the Kunarac, Kova¿ and Vukovi¿ case

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Topic: Public International Law and Human Rights, grade: 1,7, University of Groningen, course: International Criminal Tribunals and Courts, language: English, abstract: The essay deals with the definition of rape at international level as adopted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Kunarac, Kovä and Vukovi¿ case. The ICTY judgment in the so-called "rape camps" case has been subject to constant discussions, applauded by some and criticized by others, both from a legal and purely human perspective. The reason why the case in hand attracts so much attention lies not only in the fact that it touches such a delicate topic as mass rapes in wartime. What makes it truly noteworthy, though, is the pioneering character it has as to the manner of dealing with that matter. The present paper strives to outline namely those features of the trial chamber¿s decision, based on which it has been defined by many as a landmark one.