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States Should Use ICC System to Eliminate Grave Crimes against Women
an article by Press release from the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (abridged)
Prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes must
begin at national level, says civil society on
International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women. States should take greater steps
to eliminate violence against women and girls in
conflict by joining the International Criminal
Court (ICC) as well as prosecuting perpetrators of
sexual and gender-based crimes at the national
level, the Coalition for the ICC said today.
click on photo to enlarge
Marked around the world today, the International
Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
brings into sharp focus the work of the ICC to end
impunity for sexual and gender- based crimes, as
well as the urgent need to restore victims’
dignity and provide them with redress, empowering
them to be key actors in peace-building efforts
and assume societal leadership roles.
The Rome Statute’s provisions targeting sexual
crimes represent a historic advance for
international justice. It is one of the first
international treaties to extensively address
gender- based crimes as crimes against humanity,
war crimes, and in some instances, genocide.
Specifically, it recognizes rape, sexual slavery,
forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced
sterilizations, gender-based persecutions,
trafficking of persons particularly women and
children, and sexual violence as among the most
serious crimes of concern to the international
community as a whole.
The Coalition has called on states at this week’s
annual meeting of ICC members, the Assembly of
States Parties (ASP), to stay focused on improving
the delivery of meaningful justice to the most
vulnerable victims of grave crimes through the ICC
and Rome Statute system. The Assembly held a
dedicated debate on victims for the first time
last Friday, where governments, civil society, the
Trust Fund for Victims (TVF) and other
stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of the
victims’ in the Rome Statute system. Women and
girls are particularly affected by conflict-
related crimes. Read the recommendations of the
Coalition’s Gender Justice team to ASP 12.
By ratifying the Rome Statute – the Court’s
founding treaty – and implementing its landmark
gender provisions domestically, states can ensure
greater protection of women’s rights and justice
for grave gender-based crimes are guaranteed at
both national and international levels.
In June this year, the Coalition welcomed the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2106,
adopted unanimously following an open debate on
sexual violence in conflict, which recognizes the
centrality of ending impunity for the prevention
of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict
and encourages states to strengthen accountability
efforts.
Another notable initiative aimed at towards
eliminating violence against women is the United
Kingdom’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
Initiative which aims to strengthen international
efforts to respond to sexual violence in conflict,
and has been instrumental in bringing the issue to
the attention of the international community. The
UK has also spearheaded an important initiative to
help standardize the documentation of sexual and
gender-based violence . . .
[Note: Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter
for this article.]
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?
* * * * *
Latest reader comment:
The 47 CPNN articles devoted to this theme suggest that indeed progress is being made.
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