Unpacking the Harms of Reproductive Violence in Mass Atrocities: Developing a New Typology

Abstract∞ Despite widespread evidence of reproductive violence in mass atrocity contexts, transitional justice and international criminal law have been slow to recognize and prosecute these violations. This article argues that this accountability gap stems partly from pedagogical failures – while existing definitions conceptualize reproductive violence as violations of reproductive autonomy, they fail to unpack its differentiated harms. This article develops a new typology that categorizes reproductive violence according to reproductive consequences for victim-survivors. It performs a pedagogical function, making more visible the distinct suffering each category inflicts. By assisting pattern recognition across seemingly disparate acts, the typology helps investigators in framing such acts as interconnected instances of reproductive violence, identifying systematic reproductive control strategies and gathering targeted evidence. By strengthening understanding of the far-reaching physical, psychological and sociopolitical consequences for victim-survivors, this typology offers a tool to recognize reproductive violence as meeting the gravity threshold for accountability under the Rome Statute and beyond.