A Step Towards Integrating the Women, Peace and Security Agenda into the Responsibility to Protect

In order to maintain legitimacy and find its place as a legal norm, the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine (R2P) must ensure the protection of the most vulnerable populations on the globe against four major categories of crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by armed conflict and are regularly targeted by belligerents. Despite its criminalization, sexual violence against women and girls continues to be a tactic of war. What is more, according to UN Women, violence against women and girls in conflict zones leads to a cascade of human rights violations. Women and girls lose land rights, are less likely to attend primary school, experience higher infant mortality, and face higher rates of child marriage. While states strive to understand the causes and consequences of violence against women, women are massively underrepresented in governmental positions that support the prevention and resolution of conflict.