Marta Pitino
Prior research has established that conflict-related sexual violence is anchored in patriarchal norms that persist across the continuum of war and peace. Religious leaders are widely recognized as influential in shaping such norms and are increasingly engaged in interventions aimed at changing them. What remains under-researched, however, is how patriarchal norms operate within religious institutions themselves, and how they shape the responses those institutions can offer. This article sets out to shed light on this question through a feminist critical discourse analysis of official statements, prayers and interviews with representatives of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, complemented by interviews with Bosnian civil society actors. The analysis shows that patriarchal norms determine what can be said about conflict-related sexual violence, who is recognized as a victim-/survivor, and what responses become possible. While elite discourses focus on women who experienced rape, male victimization and other forms of sexual violence remain largely invisible. At the grassroots level, imams internalize these framings in ways that shape whom they understand themselves as able to support. Turning to a training guide for religious leaders produced with international partners, the analysis suggests that these norms remain deeply entrenched, proving difficult to displace even in documents developed through such collaborations. Religious institutions are thus active producers of norms around conflict-related sexual violence, operating through registers that differ by hierarchical tier. Identifying where these norms are open to negotiation is essential for engaging religious actors against stigmatization and silence.