When war erupts, the rules we lived by before the battle no longer apply. The purposeful ending of lives and the devastation of property become widely accepted, either reluctantly or wholeheartedly. We must defeat the enemy, we say. We must kill. We must win. Therefore, whatever dark side there is to being human that allows us to accomplish those goals is permitted to see the light of day. We may regret an act committed in war, but it is likely to be justified in some way, as the savagery of the warrior is deemed necessary to fulfill our goal of victory. Emotions usually repressed are encouraged and violence is embraced as a needed activity. Rape, in times of war, is as old as the Bible and as new as today's headlines on the Kosovar refugee crisis. From the military laws laid out in Deuteronomy 1 to the recent Serbian threat, victims of rape seem as much a part of a war-zone as bodies upon a battlefield. A tragic side effect of ethnic war is the manipulation of rape figures to advance special interests.

The context of war adds a new dimension to the issue of sexual violence, now an 'accepted' tactic that is widely used in wars around the globe. However, rape has been lit

Rape, in association with warfare, has left profound marks on young people's social behavior, particularly on their sexual behavior. Many elderly complain about promiscuous sex among the youth. General complaints about the youth's lack of respect for the elderly and "traditional values" have also been reported among post-war communities. Even after the initial corruption, the horror of the heinous acts acted upon women and their families is felt years after.

Rape and other forms of sexual violence were used in former Yugoslovia as a weapon of ethnic cleansing. It was a way of humiliating women and emasculating the men. Rape had always been regarded as an ugly side effect of war-part of the Homeric spoils of killing the men and taking the women and prizes-it is evident in this modern age that it is increasingly used as a weapon of war and a tool of political repression over an unwanted population.

However, not only does rape harm the victimized women, it disgraces the men who were unable to protect them and the communities in which they live. Often, the assault is directed at the individual, her family, and community all together. As well as an attempt to dominate, humiliate, and control behavior, rape in war can also be intended to disable an enemy by destroying the bonds of family and society. Many acts of rapes are conducted in public. Family and relatives are often forced to watch soldiers rape their wives, mothers, and sisters. Husbands are forced to lay on the floor as soldiers rape their wives on t

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Approximate Word count = 1031
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)