International: Update - Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice
Source:
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice On October 14th the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the issue of arrest warrants for 5 leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the rebel group in Northern Uganda. These are the first arrest warrants issued by the Court.
The LRA leader Joseph Kony, and second in command Vincent Otti, are charged with rape and sexual enslavement. Other charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity include enslavement, cruel treatment of civilians, forced enlisting of children, inhumane acts of inflicting serious bodily injury and suffering, and intentionally directing an attack against a civilian population.
We attended the press conference held by the ICC announcing the issue of arrest warrants for the LRA leaders. The press release issued by the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and ISIS-WICCE regarding the arrest warrants can be found at
http://www.iccnow.org/pressroom/membermediastatements/2005/WIGJ_Arrest%20Warrants_14Oct2005.pdf
The conflict in Northern Uganda has been running since 1986 and has lead to the displacement of 1.3 million people, the abduction of approximately 30,000 children by the LRA, and the killing, raping, torture and sexual slavery of an unspecified number.
During the field consultations conducted by the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice in November 2004, we heard testimonies from girls and young women who were abducted, raped, held in rebel camps and given as sexual rewards to rebel commanders. We also heard testimonies about rape committed by the Uganda People’s Defence Force and local defence units.
It is now up to States Parties (of the ICC) to arrest those who have been charged. The Governments of Uganda, the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), countries where the LRA is based, are legally obligated to arrest any of the individuals for whom arrest warrants have been issued and are within their territory. Some NGOs, both within Uganda and internationally, are skeptical about the level of co-operation from the Sudan and the DRC given both of these countries also have situations under investigation by the ICC, (Darfur and eastern Congo respectively).
Update – Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice
In early October we held the second in our Gender Lecture Series for the ICC, and completed a successful gender training seminar for the ICC Darfur Team. The training focused on the effective investigation and prosecution of gender based crimes, relevant jurisprudence, and the historical and political context of the conflict in Darfur.
We are currently updating our review and gender analysis of reports on the Darfur conflict. Since our review in June a number of other reports documenting further gender based crimes in the region have been completed.
ICC Vacancies
As part of our effort to promote the appointment of women to key positions, we are sending regular notifications of relevant vacancies at the ICC, as well as updates on the appointments made. Please continue to assist us in identifying suitable women candidates and encouraging strong applicants for these positions.
Gender Legal Advisor role
We would like to draw your attention to the Senior Legal Advisor post currently being advertised. We are happy to be able to inform you that with your help and our joint efforts we have been successful in advocating for the establishment of a gender legal advisor role in the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).
The position as advertised combines the provision of general legal advice to the operational divisions and to the immediate office of the Prosecutor with the provision of legal advice and expertise on gender issues to the Prosecutor and the Executive Committee, to ensure the inclusion of a gender perspective and analysis in all decisions, policies and strategies of the OTP.
We will monitor the recruitment process for this position closely.
Appointments
We are not able to provide information on every appointment, however from time to time we will highlight the appointment of women to key positions within the Court. At this time, there are no appointments to announce.
Vacancies
The Rome Statute requires that in the employment of staff, the Prosecutor and Registrar must have regard for the representation of the principal legal systems of the world, equitable geographical representation, and fair representation of women and men.
We are continuing to work with the Court to address their responsibility in ensuring gender balance and regional diversity amongst the staff of the ICC.
Please note, the Court is now indicating a preference for applicants from a State Party to the ICC Statute, or from a State that has signed and is engaged in the ratification process. However, the Court also states applicants from non-state parties may also be considered.
We ask for your ongoing support in identifying experienced women candidates.
Guidelines for applications for the ICC can be found on the ICC website: http://www.icc-cpi.int/recruitment/opportunities/guidelines.html. It is essential for applications to follow these guidelines and include a completed personal history form. The ICC website address is: http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html
Sincerely,
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice
The conflict in Northern Uganda has been running since 1986 and has lead to the displacement of 1.3 million people, the abduction of approximately 30,000 children by the LRA, and the killing, raping, torture and sexual slavery of an unspecified number.
During the field consultations conducted by the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice in November 2004, we heard testimonies from girls and young women who were abducted, raped, held in rebel camps and given as sexual rewards to rebel commanders. We also heard testimonies about rape committed by the Uganda People’s Defence Force and local defence units.
It is now up to States Parties (of the ICC) to arrest those who have been charged. The Governments of Uganda, the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), countries where the LRA is based, are legally obligated to arrest any of the individuals for whom arrest warrants have been issued and are within their territory. Some NGOs, both within Uganda and internationally, are skeptical about the level of co-operation from the Sudan and the DRC given both of these countries also have situations under investigation by the ICC, (Darfur and eastern Congo respectively).
Update – Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice
In early October we held the second in our Gender Lecture Series for the ICC, and completed a successful gender training seminar for the ICC Darfur Team. The training focused on the effective investigation and prosecution of gender based crimes, relevant jurisprudence, and the historical and political context of the conflict in Darfur.
We are currently updating our review and gender analysis of reports on the Darfur conflict. Since our review in June a number of other reports documenting further gender based crimes in the region have been completed.
ICC Vacancies
As part of our effort to promote the appointment of women to key positions, we are sending regular notifications of relevant vacancies at the ICC, as well as updates on the appointments made. Please continue to assist us in identifying suitable women candidates and encouraging strong applicants for these positions.
Gender Legal Advisor role
We would like to draw your attention to the Senior Legal Advisor post currently being advertised. We are happy to be able to inform you that with your help and our joint efforts we have been successful in advocating for the establishment of a gender legal advisor role in the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).
The position as advertised combines the provision of general legal advice to the operational divisions and to the immediate office of the Prosecutor with the provision of legal advice and expertise on gender issues to the Prosecutor and the Executive Committee, to ensure the inclusion of a gender perspective and analysis in all decisions, policies and strategies of the OTP.
We will monitor the recruitment process for this position closely.
Appointments
We are not able to provide information on every appointment, however from time to time we will highlight the appointment of women to key positions within the Court. At this time, there are no appointments to announce.
Vacancies
The Rome Statute requires that in the employment of staff, the Prosecutor and Registrar must have regard for the representation of the principal legal systems of the world, equitable geographical representation, and fair representation of women and men.
We are continuing to work with the Court to address their responsibility in ensuring gender balance and regional diversity amongst the staff of the ICC.
Please note, the Court is now indicating a preference for applicants from a State Party to the ICC Statute, or from a State that has signed and is engaged in the ratification process. However, the Court also states applicants from non-state parties may also be considered.
We ask for your ongoing support in identifying experienced women candidates.
Guidelines for applications for the ICC can be found on the ICC website: http://www.icc-cpi.int/recruitment/opportunities/guidelines.html. It is essential for applications to follow these guidelines and include a completed personal history form. The ICC website address is: http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html
Sincerely,
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice
