international law rape was considered to be a crime, though its parameters at this time were illdefined. Rape as a Weapon of War Rape is a crime, in war as in peace times, because it obviously violates the rights of the woman who is attacked, but, during war and armed conflict, rape is frequently used as a means of psychological warfare in order to humiliate, demoralize, and shame the enemy. Rape is an extremely effective wartime weapon because, by systematically raping women and girls, armed groups assert power and domination over not only the women, but their men as well. The men whose women have been raped feel totally helpless and the rape to them can symbolize their total defeat. So, in essence, women are attacked to destroy their mental and physical integrity, and they are attacked publicly to demonstrate the powerlessness of the men to defend the community. They are also attacked as bearers of the next generation because their reproductive capacity is either destroyed or harnessed through forcible 30 impregnation to carry the child of the enemy. War rape is often systematic, thorough, and a well thought out strategy. The rape of women civilians is also used as a tactical weapon to terrorise civilian communities or to achieve “ethnic cleansing,” as a tool in enforcing hostile occupations, a means of conquering or seeking revenge against the enemy, 31 and a means of payment for mercenary soldiers. War rape may occur in a variety of situations, including institutionalised sexual slavery and individual or isolated acts of sexual violence. War rape commonly includes gang rape and rape with objects. Broadly, three kinds of rape can be identified in conflict: 32 Forced concubinage33 involves the conscription or kidnapping of young girls to wash, cook, porter and have sex with soldiers and militiamen. As stated above, this 34 occurred during the second Chimurenga , the young women were known as zvimbwido. This began again in 2000 when the government introduced the youth militia. There have been girls who escaped the camps and have told horrific stories 35 about what goes on within the confines of the camps . Politically motivated rape punishes individuals, families or communities who hold different political views. According to the Amnesty International‟s Report on Zimbabwe in 2003, the number of reported cases of rape and other forms of sexual torture perpetrated against women suspected of supporting the political opposition increased. This was also happening before the 200836 elections and one woman stated that the perpetrators said to her “You are the same people messing around with Tsvangirai for the love of sugar. You are Tsvangirai‟s prostitute, a prostitute for sugar. So now that we have found you, we are going to sleep with you.” This statement clearly shows that the rape was political. Genocidal rape, as in Rwanda and the Balkans, seeks to destroy an ethnic or 37 political group perceived as being the enemy. This kind of rape has been the subject of many discussions but it appears that in Zimbabwe genocidal rape occurs not to destroy an ethnic group but a political group which is the Movement for Democratic Change. 30 Amnesty International ‟Lives Blown Apart: Crimes against women in times of conflict‟, 2004 p20. This is a statement found in a report by Human Rights Watch in its investigations in the former Yugoslavia, Peru, Kashmir and Somalia. See The Human Rights Watch „Human Rights Watch Women‟s Rights Project‟ 1995 p.1, 2. 32 „Focus on Rape as a Political Weapon‟ IRINnews.org. (Accessed 25/10/2010) 33 RAU (2011) Forced Concubinage in Zimbabwe page 5. 34 See Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Rhodesia „The Man in the Middle: Torture, Resettlement and Eviction and Civil War in Rhodesia‟ 1975. 35 http://www.solidaritypeacetrust.org/205/national-youth-service-training/ (Accessed 25 October 2010) 31 36 RAU (2010) No Hiding Place: Politically Motivated Rape of Women in Zimbabwe Report prepared by RAU and ZADHR, page 12. 37 'Focus on Rape as a Political Weapon‟ 8 April 2003 IRINnews.org (Accessed 25 Ocotber2010)