ape loot pillage: the political economy of sexual violence in armed conflict

I argue that 1) in many instances, gender transcended race, culture, or religion since females of all backgrounds, including Jews, became victims of sexual violence 2) that alcohol significantly contributed to the sexual violence, 3) that German racial laws did not reflect the sexual reality in the east, and finally, 4) that sexual desire or the desire for some kind of sexual activity often played a significant role in the motivation to rape. In addition to documenting a large system of military brothels under the German occupation, I found a variety of evidence for mass rape of east Europeans both during and after the German occupation, and further evidence of sexual abuse inside and outside of camps. My conclusions are broad in scope and based on a wide variety of sources.

Because of the absence of detailed studies of individual communities on the topic of sexual violence in the east, I investigate a wide geographical range and explore camp and non-camp settings, and the experiences of Jews and Christian Slavs and Balts. Fear and rumors existed, but for thousands of people sexual violence clearly was a reality.

Unarmed civilians, camp inmates, and others were touched by sexual violence during World War II. Sexual assault, often by an intoxicated perpetrator, was a ubiquitous threat across the eastern front, primarily to women and girls, but also to men and boys caught in the crossfire between the Germans, the Soviets, and partisans.

Ape loot pillage: the political economy of sexual violence in armed conflict