TY - JOUR
T1 - 'Other inhumane acts'
T2 - Forced marriage, girl soldiers and the special court for Sierra Leone
AU - Park, Augustine S.J.
PY - 2006/9
Y1 - 2006/9
N2 - The decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone gained international notoriety for the widespread use of child soldiers, and the sexual abuse and 'forced' marriage of girl soldiers. For the first time in international legal history, 'forced marriage' is being prosecuted as a 'crime against humanity' in Sierra Leone's post-conflict 'Special Court'. This represents an important step in advancing the human rights of girls, and follows a growing trend in international criminal prosecution of gender offences. Notwithstanding the significance of this indictment, international law is no panacea for the deeper inequalities and vulnerabilities that girls experience in peacetime and in wartime. This article advocates a specific focus on girls, who are often 'disappeared' under discourses of children and women. Moreover, using recommendations from Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, this article attempts to point to social and economic inequalities that must be addressed alongside criminal prosecution of gendered crimes against humanity.
AB - The decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone gained international notoriety for the widespread use of child soldiers, and the sexual abuse and 'forced' marriage of girl soldiers. For the first time in international legal history, 'forced marriage' is being prosecuted as a 'crime against humanity' in Sierra Leone's post-conflict 'Special Court'. This represents an important step in advancing the human rights of girls, and follows a growing trend in international criminal prosecution of gender offences. Notwithstanding the significance of this indictment, international law is no panacea for the deeper inequalities and vulnerabilities that girls experience in peacetime and in wartime. This article advocates a specific focus on girls, who are often 'disappeared' under discourses of children and women. Moreover, using recommendations from Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, this article attempts to point to social and economic inequalities that must be addressed alongside criminal prosecution of gendered crimes against humanity.
KW - Child soldiers
KW - Forced marriage
KW - Gender rights
KW - Girls
KW - Post-conflict justice
KW - Sierra Leone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33747586735&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0964663906066611
DO - 10.1177/0964663906066611
M3 - Article
SN - 0964-6639
VL - 15
SP - 315
EP - 337
JO - Social and Legal Studies
JF - Social and Legal Studies
IS - 3
ER -