Sexual violence and the weaponisation of the law – The Mail & Guardian

Sexual violence and the weaponisation of the law – The Mail & Guardian

In the late 1980s, as the Indian state responded to Kashmiri demands for self-determination with overwhelming military force, a new form of warfare emerged in the valleys and villages of Kashmir.  The systemic use of sexual violence as a weapon of occupation to humiliate communities, terrorise families and break the will of the people became standardised in the Indian military. As women, young and old, were raped and gang-raped, minor girls were…