Elijah Cook

Wider Audience Paper

INTLSTD

4/18/21

Understanding CRSV in Buddhist Dominant Countries

Buddhism, often seen as synonymous with non-violence, is seen by many as a religion of

pacifism. However, it might come as a surprise to some that there have been significant conflicts

carried out in Buddhist dominant counties. To better understand these conflicts scholars have

created a framework that has been used to understand the justifications for Buddhist violence.

These can be summarized as nationalism, fundamentalism, and perceptions of virtue. Conflict-

related sexual violence(CRSV) is another reality that has been observed in these conflicts.

Elizabeth Wood defines conflict-related sexual violence as “sexual violence by armed

organizations during armed conflict... [She] refers to sexual violence as defined by the Rome

Statute of the International Criminal Court, which includes “[r]ape, sexual slavery, enforced

prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of

comparable gravity”(Wood 2015). I argue that the framework for understanding Buddhist

violence can be used to understand CRSV in these conflicts.

 Figure 1

To demonstrate how this framework can be used to understand CRSV I will be using it to

analyze the results of a statistical test. I hypothesized that the religion of the victim is associated

with the severity of CRSV. Through my test, I have sufficient evidence to suggest that this is the

case. However, I can better understand my results by using the framework to explain the

differences between reality, and what would be expected if religion did NOT matter. The SVAC

utilizes a coding system to assign levels of CRSV. A score of three indicates sexual violence is

“massive”. A score of two represents conflict-related sexual violence is “numerous”. A score of

one indicates “isolated” events of conflict-related violence. Finally, a score of zero represents no

mention of conflict-related sexual violence in the report. An expected count higher than the
observed count indicates less observed conflict-related sexual violence than expected. An

expected count lower than the observed count indicates more observed conflict-related sexual

violence than expected.

First, I would like to use the framework to understand the difference between the cases of

numerous and massive amounts of CRSV. Victims who were non-Buddhist experienced more

than expected amounts of CRSV. It was also more than Buddhist victims experienced. Buddhist

victims also experienced less than expected. Fundamentalism and nationalism can be used to

understand these findings. Under the influence of ultra-nationalism, the lines between religion

and nation have blurred to the point of indistinction. “This is especially prominent in Southeast

Asia: in Thailand, to be Thai is to be Buddhist; in Myanmar, to be Burmese is to be

Buddhist(Jerryson 18). This ultra-nationalism encourages violence against the ethnic groups that

are perceived as outside of the nation. Victims who were Buddhist were considered to be within

the nation and therefore experienced less CRSV than non-Buddhists.

Fundamentalism is another extreme religious element that is seen in Buddhist dominant

countries. It is the belief that the religion and way of life one practices are under attack and there

is an urgent need to protect it. Fundamentalists may turn to violence as a way to preserve their

faith. This violence is seen as a way to defend the religion. In their research Baaz and Stern have

illuminated some potential causes of conflict-related sexual violence. “research focuses on how a

"spiral of violence" incites rape: those who feel humiliated, mistreated, and victimized by the

enemy become more prone to enact violence”(Baaz and Stern). Fundamentalists fit into this

category because, despite reality, fundamentalists will view themselves as the victim and justify

acts of sexual violence.

 Lastly, there is a higher amount of isolated cases of CRSV against Buddhist victims than

expected. To explain this unexpected result once again the framework can be used. Buddhist

misogyny has permitted various forms of discrimination and violence towards women

(Khuankaew 2007). Due to misinterpretations of Buddhist texts and beliefs that support

misogynistic views; women are seen as inferior to men and detrimental to the Buddhist way of

life. Women are told by Buddhist monks that the reason they have been reborn as a woman is

because of bad deeds from a previous life (Khuankaew 176). This misogynistic view of

reincarnation is also used to place the blame of abuse on the female victim and not the male

attacker(Franiuk & Shain 788).

The framework for understanding Buddhist violence is also a tool that can be used to

explain CRSV. The results of my tests could be explained by using the framework. This

framework has not been used in other literature to explain conflict-related sexual violence. I

propose that future research uses these tools when formulating their results.
 Bibliography

Baaz, M. E., & Stern, M. (2009). Why do Soldiers Rape? MASCULINITY, violence, and

sexuality in the armed forces in the Congo (DRC). International Studies Quarterly, 53(2),

495-518

Cohen, D.K and Ragnhild N. 2014. Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict Dataset.

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http://www.sexualviolencedata.org

Franiuk, R, and E. Ashley S.(2011). "Beyond Christianity: The status of women and rape

myths." Sex Roles 65, no. 11-12: 783-791.

Jerryson, M. (2018). Buddhism, war, and violence. Oxford Handbooks Online.

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