Maya Khalife-Hamdan, a senior with a double majoring in international studies and Spanish, presented a poster of her Honors project in international studies at the 82nd Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference held in Chicago April 3-6. The research is titled “Breaking the Silence: Chilean Courts and Justice for Dictatorship-Era Sexual Violence.” Dr. Amy Risley, Stanley J. Buckman Professor of International Studies, is supervising Khalife-Hamdan’s honors work.
According to Risley, the research investigates a recent trend in transitional justice: Chilean courts have begun addressing state-sponsored sexual violence perpetrated against women detained during the country’s military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990. In the past several years, courts have granted survivors’ justice claims. Maya’s project examines how governmental gender equality initiatives and civil societal pressure influenced this shift in judicial outcomes.