Gaddafi Uses Rape as a Weapon of War?

Protest for Libyan Rape Victim Iman al-Obeidi

Libyan-American women protesting in support of Libyan rape victim Iman al-Obeidi in Washington, DC. ©Getty Images

Amidst reports of hundreds of rapes by Gaddafi forces in Libya, I appeared on Alhurra TV last week to discuss this brutal human rights violation. Watch the clip (in Arabic only) here.

Amnesty International remains concerned about violence against women in the midst of the political turbulence of the Arab Spring uprisings. The use of rape and other forms of sexual violence in Libya as weapons of war are efforts to intimidate, punish, humiliate, and control women and their communities.

These rapes and other forms of sexual violence constitute grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including the crime of torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Other injustices among the uprisings include the forced virginity tests performed on female demonstrators in Egypt. Egypt’s government needs to uphold the human rights of all Egyptian women, including those who are struggling for gender equality and human rights.  You can join us in calling for an investigation and end to forced virginity testing in Egypt.

Looking to learn more about how to prevent violence against women worldwide? Visit our women’s human rights page for more ways to fight the cycle of violence and discrimination.

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6 thoughts on “Gaddafi Uses Rape as a Weapon of War?

  1. Keep shouting about every case of domestic violence against women you hear about. Sadly that very often translates to violence against children or at the very least trauma.

  2. Keep shouting about every case of domestic violence against women you hear about. Sadly that very often translates to violence against children or at the very least trauma.

  3. Dear Ms Finch,

    i am sincerely & seriously disturbed by Amnesty's reporting on Libya.

    i had expected Amnesty to maintain here the usual balance it keeps on every other issue.

    While pointing out the evils Qaddafi's forces have done, i looked … in vain …. for your coverage of the rising civilian death toll from NATO's bombings as well as the atrocities by the rebels, which have targetted Africans in Libya in particular.

    Libya is in Africa, need i remind you ?

    i am asking you to look into the rapes committed by the unruly, infighting rebel forces as well.

    Especially since the rebels are operating today seemingly free of any critical monitoring.

  4. Dear Ms Finch,

    i am sincerely & seriously disturbed by Amnesty’s reporting on Libya.

    i had expected Amnesty to maintain here the usual balance it keeps on every other issue.

    While pointing out the evils Qaddafi’s forces have done, i looked … in vain …. for your coverage of the rising civilian death toll from NATO’s bombings as well as the atrocities by the rebels, which have targetted Africans in Libya in particular.

    Libya is in Africa, need i remind you ?

    i am asking you to look into the rapes committed by the unruly, infighting rebel forces as well.

    Especially since the rebels are operating today seemingly free of any critical monitoring.

  5. if you have not been to libya, you will never understand, im a nigerian currently living in India cos i was a case of freed prisoner from RAHIS prison in Tripoly where i spent about 92% of my six years in libya.Libya is a place you could be stoned or attacked by citezens for just looking at a woman, Ghaddaffi knows how much his soldiers will love free sex. imagine a bunch of army where almost 80 percent were unmarried and never slept with a woman all their life. A soldier who had never seen a naked woman as law is so strict had just been told to have sex with any woman with the coverage of ak 47, imagine that, that soldier will like to remain loyal because the priority demand of every libyan youth {m/f} is to have sex. many women would be raped and they will not report as a result of fear. beleive me, every libyan national wants ghaddafi dead, but how many are bold to say it out, please let the whole world help and aid the rebels to force BEAST Ghadaffi out of this earth.

  6. if you have not been to libya, you will never understand, im a nigerian currently living in India cos i was a case of freed prisoner from RAHIS prison in Tripoly where i spent about 92% of my six years in libya.Libya is a place you could be stoned or attacked by citezens for just looking at a woman, Ghaddaffi knows how much his soldiers will love free sex. imagine a bunch of army where almost 80 percent were unmarried and never slept with a woman all their life. A soldier who had never seen a naked woman as law is so strict had just been told to have sex with any woman with the coverage of ak 47, imagine that, that soldier will like to remain loyal because the priority demand of every libyan youth {m/f} is to have sex. many women would be raped and they will not report as a result of fear. beleive me, every libyan national wants ghaddafi dead, but how many are bold to say it out, please let the whole world help and aid the rebels to force BEAST Ghadaffi out of this earth.

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