Historically, once a man claimed a woman, he was her sole protector, both domestically and against the threat of harm from other men or groups. These men provided the economic and protective necessity.in these countries it is believed that women should remain pure and untouched before marriage. By the girls and women being raped the women are looked at as spoilage.
This also allows the dominating group to have mixed-ethnic children. This is the reason for the genocidal rape that is taken place in Rwanda and Sudan, where the Hutus have rose up against the Tutsi by raping their women and impregnating them so that that they have their Hutus genes stilling running through this mixed-ethnic child.
"It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed" - Maj Gen Patrick Cammaert Former UN peacekeeper
Intentionally inflicting shame and guilt by raping woman is a major goal of those who are at war.Women are raped and abused in front of their families. When a women's sexuality is destroyed , so is he chances of motherhood and her dignity.This is the role that rape is playing in ethnic cleansing.
Reasons Why:
Most of the rapes were committed by non-career soldiers who were drafted or had volunteered for the duration of the war.
Rapists had diagnostic characteristics - mental issues, alcoholism and very low intelligence
while some rapes were products of systematic military tactics, some were Opportunistic
Opportunistic Rapes are assaults motivated by individualistic drives, not as part of the military campaign. These types of rapes are those sexual assaults that arise out of the general chaos and confusion of a military engagement. Opportunistic elements blended with genocidal elements.