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PRESS RELEASE
11 April
2002
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT TREATY
HITS 60TH RATIFICATION
WOMEN’S GROUPS WELCOME NEW ERA OF ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
United Nations, New York, 11 April – On
Thursday, the number of ratifications necessary to bring the Rome Statute of
the International Criminal Court into force was exceeded when
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ireland,
Jordan, Mongolia, Niger, Romania, and Slovakia, officially completed their
ratification in a special ceremony at the UN Treaty Office. With
the necessary ratifications, the Rome Statute will enter into force on
1 July 2002
at which time the Court’s jurisdiction will take effect.
Women’s groups have applauded this historic
development as the Rome Statute codifies crimes of sexual and gender violence
which had historically not been addressed in humanitarian law.
“The
people's will for peace and justice has prevailed even though there were
strong forces that worked against it. It
is also encouraging to know that the treaty has incorporated many of the
gender concerns which were being articulated by women.
We must now make it work,” said Hameeda Hossein, a human rights
activist from
Bangladesh
.
“In
this terrible moment when violence and resort to war rather than justice
threaten human security in unprecedented ways, the imminent entry into force
of the International Criminal Court is a beacon of hope,” said Rhonda
Copelon professor of law and director of the International Women’s Human
Rights Clinic at the City University of New York School of Law. “Its success
demands persistent work toward ensuring its independence, effectiveness,
incorporation into national law, and gender inclusiveness, including the full
participation of women as shapers and beneficiaries of international
justice.”
“As
an NGO which started its work with war-traumatised women in
Bosnia
and still works with them we hope that the ICC will be a court which offers a
chance to women ...... to tell what was done to them, name the perpetrators
and see them punished,” said Dr. Monika Hauser, founder of Medica Mondiale,
a German-based support center for survivors of war time sexual violence. “The
world already had to wait a very long time for it, and it is crucial that it
will be a women-friendly court - women all over the world have been waiting
for this far too long!"
The treaty event took place amidst ongoing negotiations of the Preparatory
Commission for the International Criminal Court which is hurriedly trying to
conclude its schedule of preparatory work as the treaty will be entering into
force soon. Non-governmental organizations and civil society are present
during these negotiations as the Coalition for the International Criminal
Court, an international network of individuals and organizations from all over
the world which formed in 1995.
Women’s
groups had organized since 1997 through the Women’s Caucus for Gender
Justice to advocate for gender mainstreaming in the negotiations toward the
establishment of the International Criminal Court. As a result, rape,
sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced
sterilization and sexual violence were included in the Rome Statute as
war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prior codifications of humanitarian
law, e.g. the
Geneva
and Hague Conventions, had failed to fully address this range of crimes and
recognize them as among grave violations. In addition, trafficking and gender-based
persecution were included as crimes against humanity. The statute also
contains progressive provisions relating to the participation and protection
of victims and witnesses in the process and women on the Court as judges,
prosecutors and staff.
“We must now make sure that the processes adopted by the Assembly of
States Parties are transparent and accountable and that parity of women and
men on the Court is assured,” according to Maria Solis, a human rights
lawyer from
Guatemala
. “Women make up half the world’s population. It is our right. We deserve
nothing less.”
“We congratulate all the countries that ratified the Rome Statute and
we’ll continue to work for its acceptance by many more” said Lorena Fries,
of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice. Women’s groups and other NGO’s
are continuing to push for more ratifications to ensure that the Court will be
a representative and diverse institution and that the Court’s jurisdiction
will be strengthened by universal acceptance.
As the International Criminal Court comes into existence, there are
already threats to its independence, impartiality and effectiveness. It is
widely anticipated that the
U.S.
will ‘unsign’ the
Rome
treaty – something that has never been done before. Currently, there are two
laws in effect in the
U.S.
which prohibit any support or assistance to the future Court as well as the
ongoing process toward its establishment. The U.S.
hostility towards the Court stems from the fact that the ICC will not be
dependent on the UN Security Council for cases that can come before it and
from the fact that the
U.S.
was not successful in achieving exemptions for
U.S.
nationals.
For further information contact:
Reena Geevarghese, 718-626-2681
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