The Role of Female Perpetrators in International Crimes

ABSTRACT

Historical records show that women have actively participated in warfare in the 20th century, not only as peacemakers, humanitarian workers, medical workers, politicians, and soldiers but also as criminals. This is in contrast to the popular belief that conflict is solely the domain of men. Women's involvement in international crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide was considered beyond the normal range of conflict-related crimes.

Women make up a small percentage of those found guilty by international criminal courts. We begin to wonder if women are less evil than men. The Rwandan genocide was unprecedented in terms of the role of women and was the first and only instance of widespread violence involving significant numbers of women.

INTRODUCTION

In June 2011, the International Criminal Court for Rwanda found Pauline Nyiramasuhuko guilty and sentenced her to life in prison for her role in the Butare genocide and widespread rape. She was the first woman to be found guilty of genocide and sexual assault by an international criminal court.

This brings us to the question of why so many male criminals are convicted and so few female criminals. The stereotypical and gendered depiction of war, in which men are portrayed as perpetrators and women as victims, gives the impression that women are less capable than men of committing atrocities on a large scale.

Are there any other factors that could explain why men make up the majority of offenders? To answer the questions, an exploratory literature review was conducted on the position of women during times of violence. What roles women have played in the past and how much they've been involved in have been assessed.

We then elaborate on the importance of gender roles and gender norms. Depictions of female perpetrators in literature and media have received particular attention. The military is a very gendered organization, so we'll get to that next. The main purpose of this article is to help readers better understand how women are involved in mass atrocities.

The Gendered Representation of mass atrocity and war

In ancient times, an armed clash between two armies could be considered a war, even if the two armies were engaged in trench warfare at a distance. But the nature of warfare is evolving. Conflicts between military personnel within a country are now more common than conflicts between different countries.

Studies of war and genocide show that violence is often gender-specific, targeting men or women within specific groups. Men are more often classified as combatants than women, even though they are unarmed. This classification makes men legitimate targets for violence.

It is time to question this stereotypical and gender-biased view of war and widespread violence. This article aims to illustrate this by emphasizing the role of women in war, not as victims but as perpetrators.

The next section examines the different roles played by women in mass atrocities and wars. The aim was to determine whether women's involvement in the Rwandan genocide was truly alarming, as described in the literature, or more common than previously thought.

The Roles of Women in Times of Mass Violence

In times of widespread violence, women typically act as silent bystanders and supporters of the regime. A supporting role does not imply criminal responsibility for the crimes committed, but it should not be overlooked. Without popular support, a figure like Hitler would never have attained this power. Among them were both men and women.

There are reports from Sudan alleging that women entertained troops or served as cheerleaders while crimes were committed. Many armies around the world assign women and girls administrative or supporting roles as secretaries, cleaning ladies, cooks, porters, or slaves. The contribution of these women and girls was critical, particularly for rebel forces, regardless of the level of coercion used.

In times of violence, many women used the power of their husbands. For example, in Nazi Germany, the wives of concentration camp guards often treated prisoners cruelly, making them work like slaves. In both the Nazi Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, women often played the role of traitors, where women from all walks of life betray the Tutsis. This was true not only of government women but also of school teachers who betrayed their students and handed them over to terrorist and murderous organizations. A medical professional handing over a patient. and the nuns who surrendered to the Tutsis who took refuge in churches and monasteries.

The role of female prison or camp guards was even more active. It is common for female guards to be chosen to protect women's prisons and camps in many countries. Women were responsible for protecting the women, maintaining camp order and discipline, and conducting ramp selections as concentration camp guards in Nazi Germany. Some female guards are notorious for being cruel and sadistic, including Grese. Johanna Borman became known for attacking and killing a weary prisoner with one of her dogs, earning her the name "dog woman."

Some women who worked as camp and prison guards abused their positions, many of whom severely abused prisoners. Certain forms of ill-treatment may amount to torture, such as medical experiments in Nazi concentration camps. Subjects were camp residents who underwent medical experiments by Nazi doctors. In addition to many men, 5 women participated in these experiments

There are several recorded cases of women being interrogated and tortured. When ETA was still considered a dangerous terrorist organization in Spain, Spanish torturers shocked victims with electricity and pumped water into another woman's fallopian tubes. A total of 58 cases were from Uruguay and Brazil. There were reports of female torturers. Female offenders often play an unexpected role as sex offenders. However, during the war women were involved in acts of sexual violence. The African Rights Center reports that women were implicated in sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide.

CONCLUSION

The review also highlighted the many ways women participate in genocide. Some women take supporting roles, others take more active roles as leaders or as physical perpetrators of rape, torture, and murder. Knowing the exact number of women involved is Impossible, but much more than expected. Women involved in these situations are often perceived as helpless or psychopathic sadists. It's easy to think that men are the only ones who commit atrocities, but that's not the case. 

The above outline suggests that many women were involved in mass atrocities, and even if some were forced or disturbed, it is impossible to classify all as such. The proportion of women who commit crimes abroad is likely to increase as women become more emancipated and more women join the armed forces and begin to play important roles in politics. Therefore, it is important to focus on this topic.

REFERENCES

Smeulers, A. (n.d.). (PDF) female perpetrators: Ordinary or extra-ordinary women? - researchgate. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272386177_Female_Perpetrators_Ordinary_or_Extra-ordinary_Women 

Ferizović, J. (2020, September 21). Case of female perpetrators of international crimes: Exploratory insights and New Research Directions. OUP Academic. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://academic.oup.com/ejil/article-abstract/31/2/455/5909415?redirectedFrom=fulltext 

AUTHOR - MANNAT GAIND