Rape and other forms of sexual violence during armed conflict are now acknowledged as weapons of war, designed not only to inflict bodily harm on primarily – but not exclusively – female victims, but also to terrify and humiliate them, their families and their communities (UN Women, 2013; Domingo et al., 2013; UNICEF, 1996). Violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, is a strong candidate for inclusion in the post2015 sustainable development goals. Sexual violence in conflict is moving up the development agenda amid a growing realisation that it is not a temporary aberration or a one-off assault on an individual, but a broad and systematic ‘military’ tactic that is mobilised against vast numbers of women and used to subdue entire populations.