#12149. The Islamic States Pattern of Sexual Violence: Ideology and Institutions, Policies and Practices

July 2026publication date
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Journal’s subject area:
Political Science and International Relations;
Sociology and Political Science;
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Abstract:
The Islamic State (IS) engaged in a wide repertoire of violence against civilians living in the area. We argue that contrary to a widespread assumption that the IS wielded violence indiscriminately, it systematically targeted different social groups with distinct forms of violence, including sexual violence. Our theory focuses on ideology, suggesting it is a necessary element of explanations of patterns of violence on the part of many armed actors. Ideologies prescribe organizational policies that order or authorize particular forms of violence against specific social groups and institutions that regulate the conditions under which they occur. Consistent with our theory, we find that the organization adopted ideologically motivated policies that authorized certain forms of sexual violence, including sexual slavery and child marriage. Forms of violence that violated organizational policies but were nonetheless tolerated by many commanders also occurred and we find evidence of two such practices: gang rape of Yazidi women and forced marriage of Sunni Muslim women.
Keywords:
Conflict; Iraq; Islamic State; Political Violence; Sexual Violence; Syria

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