Structural Sexual Violence in the Peruvian Military : An Empirical Study of Discrimination against Women and its consequences in the Peruvian Armed Forces

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is the better understanding of structural sexual violence against women. Through a human rights approach, the author examines the link between the gendered discriminatory policies against women and the occurrences of sexual violence against female soldiers within the Peruvian Armed Forces. This empirical study demonstrates that whereas civil and political rights must be respected and enforced, the satisfaction of socio-economic rights is also a key element for the prevention of violence against women. The cases of discrimination in the access to education, to labor, and reproductive rights within the Peruvian Military demonstrate that, in reality, women are forced to remain in situations where they are exposed to sexual violence because of the existence of structural organizations perpetuating the unequal power relations between men and women.