March 8 marks the celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD). The CICC calls on governments to promote justice for women by ratifying the Rome Statute and by implementing its landmark gender provisions at the national level.
“Countries are strongly encouraged to bring their national laws in line with the standards enshrined in the Rome Statute, both in terms of criminalizing the serious crimes contained in the Statute and by assuring that laws make full cooperation with the Court possible,” said CICC Convenor William R. Pace.
The Rome Statute is a powerful instrument for protecting women’s rights. The Statute’s provisions by targeting sexual crimes represent a historic advance for international justice: the Statute 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, the Statute 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 and women’s organization around the world will continue their tireless efforts after today’s celebration to make sure that violence and persecution of women are treated as they are: serious criminal and humanitarian law violations.[/lang_en
The International Criminal Court took a critical step forward for women’s rights when it included charges of gender-based crimes in the trials of Germain Katanga and Matthieu Ngudjolo Chui, the second trial arising out of the Situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which opened on November 24, 2009 in The Hague. While legal recognition of gender-based violence is an extremely important aspect of ensuring the protection of women, additional efforts must be undertaken to mainstream gender concerns.
Sexual violence is not a by-product of war. Gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict reflect the already existing entrenched discrimination and disregard for women’s rights present throughout a society in times of peace as well as in times of war. Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo face a lack of adequate medical care and other social and economic resources. When they become victims of sexual violence, they are only further marginalized in society.
Between March 1-12, 2010, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women undertook a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Throughout the conference, a theme emerged: while laws and declarations have promised the world’s women their rights, the international community and world governments have not ensured the full realization of these rights. There is a critical need to bring gender perspectives into all aspects of policymaking at every level of governance to address the deep-rooted discrimination against women. Only then will the call of “women’s rights as human rights and human rights as women’s rights” become a reality.