Genuine Consent to Sexual Violence Under International Criminal Law

Sexual violence has long formed part of armed conflicts and has empirically been shown not to be an incidental byproduct, but a frequently used, "weapon of war." Various treaties of international humanitarian law outlaw sexual violence in times of armed conflict. This prohibition has acquired the status of customary international law. Schomburg and Peterson intent to show that sexual violence that qualifies as genocide, a crime against humanity, or a war crime occurs under circumstances that are inherently coercive and negate any possibility of genuine consent.