Gender Report Card on the International Criminal ... - YWCA Canada

Structures & Institutional Development Recommendations
Victims and Witnesses
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Between 4 May and 1 June 2011, the judges of the ICC invited submissions regarding a review
of the roles of the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) and the Office of Public Counsel
for the Defence (OPCD). On 1 June, the Women’s Initiatives for <strong>Gender</strong> Justice submitted a paper
which analysed the role of the OPCV and each of the entities currently working on victims issues
within the ICC. The Women’s Initiatives included a statutory review of each of the primary
bodies, namely the OPCV, the Victims and Witness Unit (VWU) and the Victims Participation and
Reparation Section (VPRS) as well as an analysis of the mandate, roles and challenges for each of
these entities. The submission identified:
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The need for greater clarity in the delineation of roles and avoidance of duplication;
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Greater coordination and cooperation between the current bodies, especially the OPCV and
the VPRS;
The interconnected nature of the tasks undertaken by the OPCV, the VPRS and the Public
Information and Documentation Section (PIDS);
The impact on victims and victimised communities of poor programme coordination and
delivery, and the mutual impact each section has on the other in the performance of their
activities.
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The judges should publish the outcomes of the review along with their recommendations
for strengthening the efficient functioning of each entity as well as enhancing the effective
participation of victims before the ICC.
The VPRS and PIDS should have a mutual increase in resources and be required to develop
complementary communication strategies designed to reach potential female applicants and
victims. Currently male victims are the majority of victims applying to the Court, recognised
by the Court and participating in outreach activities of the ICC. The low participation rates
of women in outreach activities and the restricted number of women-specific information
strategies organised by PIDS, as well as the limited outreach initiatives undertaken by the VPRS,
have a direct connection to the relatively low numbers of women applying to the ICC to be
recognised as victims and therefore able to participate in the justice process.
The ASP should significantly increase the resources available to the Victims and Witnesses
Unit to enable them to address their full mandate to provide support and protection, not only
to witnesses but also to victims and intermediaries whose lives may be at risk as a result of
engaging with, or assisting ICC enquiries and investigations or at risk as a result of testimony
provided by a witness. 271 Currently victims and intermediaries are excluded from the security
provisions of the Court and as such participate or assist the ICC at great risk to themselves, their
families and their communities..
271 Rule 16 (2), Rome Statute.
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