The Forgotten Sexual and Gender-Based Violence of the Vietnam-American War: Is Justice too Late for Vietnamese Victims and Survivors?

“The past, far from disappearing or lying down and being quiet, has an embarrassing and persistent way of returning and haunting us unless it has in fact been dealt with adequately.” —Desmond Tutu The Vietnam-American War ended nearly fifty years ago. However, the atrocities committed during the war have had a devasting impact on the lives of persons involved long after the conflicts’ end. A particularly marginalized group within survivors and victims of the Vietnam-American War is Vietnamese women who experienced sexual and gender-based violence. And given the specific tactics of warfare employed during this war, including the use of poisonous herbicide, the sexual and gender-based violence inflicted on women spans far beyond customary forms of sexual violence during conflict—it has also led to reproductive violence that has most affected Vietnamese women

The Forgotten Sexual and Gender-Based Violence of the Vietnam-American War: Is Justice too Late for Vietnamese Victims and Survivors?

“The past, far from disappearing or lying down and being quiet, has an embarrassing and persistent way of returning and haunting us unless it has in fact been dealt with adequately.” —Desmond Tutu The Vietnam-American War ended nearly fifty years ago. However, the atrocities committed during the war have had a devasting impact on the lives of persons involved long after the conflicts’ end. A particularly marginalized group within survivors and victims of the Vietnam-American War is Vietnamese women who experienced sexual and gender-based violence. And given the specific tactics of warfare employed during this war, including the use of poisonous herbicide, the sexual and gender-based violence inflicted on women spans far beyond customary forms of sexual violence during conflict—it has also led to reproductive violence that has most affected Vietnamese women