Some common denominators emerge from the testimonies about rape by the security forces. Women did not see the men who raped them because they were blindfolded or the men wore masks. Women were kept naked, blindfolded and bound. They were raped during interrogation, as punishment, coercion or just because they were around when the officers were drunk and wanted sex they did not have to pay for. The women were raped, then threatened with more rape. Physical evidence of rape, such as semen or injuries, often was eliminated before the woman was presented to judicial authorities.
This section examines Peru's failure to punish rape by the security forces. We divide the examinations of rape by the security forces into two categories: rape during interrogation and rape in the emergency zones in the midst of armed conflict. Rape during interrogation is committed in order to get information or to frighten a detainee into complying with the wishes of her captors. Frequently, it is combined with other forms of torture: beatings, the "submarine" (near-drowning), electric shocks, and the "little bird" (hanging from ceiling hooks by her elbows with the detainee's arms bound behind her back). Rape in the emergency zones is committed in the course of armed conflict, usually to punish the civilian population for perceived sympathies with armed insurgents and to demonstrate domination.
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