Harris, PamelaScarpa, SilviaRossi, Alexia Noah2025-02-142025-02-142013Rossi, Alexia Noah. "The Role of Language and Media in Shaping the International Criminal Law’s Approach to Gender Based Violence in Regards to World War II, the Rwandan Genocide, the Yugoslav Wars and the Syrian Civil War". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2013https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14490/885Thesis (B.A. in International Affairs, Minor in Communications)--John Cabot University, Fall 2013.This thesis discusses international criminal law in regards to sexual violence against women. In the specific the thesis focuses on two particular factors that can influence and be influenced by international criminal law. These factors are language and media coverage. They are applied to the post-World War II trials, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and the recent civil war in Syria. The first chapter is dedicated to language. The main argument is that the language used by the international criminal tribunals to prosecute sexual violence against women has changed during the years. Rape, sexual assault, forced pregnancy, prostitution and sterilization went from being almost invisible to becoming a very important part of international criminal law. This chapter charts this change and tries to explain it. The second chapter is dedicated to the media. The main analysis of this chapter delves into the CNN Effect and how it, and media coverage more in general, can influence international law. The chapter analyzes how the lack of the CNN Effect during World War II, its distortion in the Rwandan genocide, its importance in the Yugoslav wars and its possible relevance in the Syrian civil war impacted the international prosecution of the crimes committed against women.58 pagesenViolence against womenAbused womenSex crimes (International law)Thesis