1
Reconsidering Common Conceptions
Around Sexual Violence in Conflict Contexts
Evidence from the North West of Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and Colombia
Anamika Madhuraj, Francesca Batault, and Sofia Rivas
Introduction
Sexual violence in conflict settings is often
framed in narrow terms—strategically de-
ployed, militarized, and perpetrated by
armed actors. Yet, this framing can obscure
more complex realities. Drawing on the
Managing Exits from Armed Conflict
(MEAC) Project’s evidence from the North
West of Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin (LCB),
and Colombia, this brief interrogates and
expands upon six common assumptions
about conflict-related sexual violence
(CRSV). It assesses whether these as-
sumptions hold in the settings where MEAC
conducts studies, or whether the reality is
more nuanced and varied than often under-
stood.
In fast-moving humanitarian and policy en-
vironments, simplified narratives about
CRSV may take hold out of necessity. But
when these narratives become entrenched,
they risk obscuring survivor experiences
and misdirecting support. By critically
examining these common conceptions,
this brief surfaces key tensions, contradic-
tions, and overlooked dynamics that chal-
lenge some dominant understandings of
CRSV.
Rather than reinforcing a singular narrative,
the findings point to the need for more con-
textualized and survivor-informed re-
sponses. Effective prevention and re-
sponse efforts must grapple with the full
complexity of CRSV—the diversity of per-
petrators, hidden forms, and lasting conse-
quences—in order to prevent CRSV and
meaningfully support those affected.
