The International Criminal Court's Trust Fund for Victims: challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The historic International Criminal Court Statute has come into force against a backdrop of massive atrocities being committed in different parts of the world. Looking at the situations currently under investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo it is estimated that 3.5 million children, women and men have died as a result of the conflict in that country, while in Uganda, the brutal conflict between the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and government forces has been characterised by abduction of children to join LRA contingents and for sexual enslavement and large-scale displacement of civilians, among other heinous acts. It is likely that future situations to be dealt with by the Court will similarly impact on hundreds of thousands of victims.The scale of these atrocities presents a unique challenge for the Court. Thousands of alleged perpetrators may fall within its jurisdiction, although for optimal efficiency and impact the Office of the Prosecutor will need to find a way to focus on the responsibility of key individuals, but without being perceived as detracting from the complexities of any given situation.