Imperial War Museums to open UK’s first major exhibition on sexual violence in conflict

This May, the Imperial War Museums (IWM) will launch the first major exhibition in the UK to highlight sexual violence in conflict.

Six years in the making, Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict will open at IWM in Lambeth Road, on May 23, running until November 2.

From wartime propaganda and gender stereotypes to the protection of soldiers, Unsilenced will consider how conflict can reinforce and exacerbate inequalities, creating the circumstances in which sexual violence occurs.

Helen Upcraft, lead curator of Unsilenced, said: “Sexual violence is a devastating aspect of conflict and very difficult to talk about. 

“This silence creates significant barriers to recovery, justice and lasting change.

“By raising public awareness and deepening understanding of sexual violence in conflict, Unsilenced aims to inform visitors, empower survivors and contribute towards meaningful change in the fight against sexual violence in conflict.”

This free exhibition will feature case studies from the First World War to today, examining how and why sexual violence is perpetrated, its impact on victims and survivors and the pursuit of justice.

Exhibits exploring the sexual slavery of both the ‘Comfort Women Corps’ in the Second World War and of Yazidi women and girls by ISIS in 2014, will examine state-sanctioned sexual violence. 

Case studies of sexual abuse against evacuees during the Second World War and the violence of the Soviet Red Army in Berlin in 1945, will highlight how the power imbalances that conflict creates can lead to unchecked abuses. 

Evidence of French women accused of having sexual relationships with German soldiers after the Second World War, and the treatment of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib at the hands of US service personnel in 2004, will also explore how sexual humiliation can be used to break morale.

Visitors will encounter photography, evidence, toys, clothing, artwork, testimonies and interviews throughout the showcase.

Prominent figures featured in the showcase include journalist and author of Our Bodies, Their Battlefield, Christina Lamb, and journalist and former chair of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, Sarah Sands. 

Unsilenced will also highlight the role of four key NGOs leading the fight against sexual violence in conflict, Women for Women International, Free Yezidi Foundation, Waging Peace and All Survivors Project, the only international NGO dedicated to addressing acts of sexual violence in conflict against men and boys.

Sara Bowcutt, managing director of Women for Women International – UK, said: “Wherever conflict erupts, sexual violence is present – but no statistics will ever capture the true scale of this horrific crime. 

“For each rape reported in connection with a conflict, the UN estimates that 10 to 20 cases go undocumented.

“Sexual violence has become predictable in conflict settings, but it is preventable – and that starts with speaking out. 

“That’s why Women for Women International is so proud to partner with Imperial War Museums on Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict and to be contributing stories of the women we serve, raising their voices higher.”

To find out more, visit: Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict 

Pictured top: Poster for the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal 2000, Tokyo, Japan (Picture: Kim Changsu, Mansudae Art Studio, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)