Recommendations to the 16th Session of the Assembly of State Parties of the ICC
Published: 4 Dec 2017
Thousands of victims across the world continue to see the ICC as a beacon of hope and an avenue to obtain justice for egregious crimes perpetrated against them. Up to September 2017, over 12, 985 victims were participating in proceedings before the Court. Between August 2016 and August 2017 alone, the Court received over 4,725 applications for participation and/or reparations. In addition, reparations proceedings are currently underway in four cases- Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga, Jean-Pierre Bemba and Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, and the Court anticipates an additional 7,400 victims to apply for participation/reparations in 2018.
The work ahead is not without challenges. The increasing number of victims seeking to fulfill their rights before the Court (through their participation in a case and/or by applying for reparations) will require the Court and its organs to ensure that its procedures are capable of meeting those demands and are reparative. The Victims Rights Working Group (VRWG) submits that a number of issues merit particular attention including the Victims’ Strategy and Guidelines for Intermediaries, victims legal representation, ongoing legal aid review, the Trust Fund for Victims,
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