Issue Brief on JUSTICE

The impunity that prevails for widespread crimes against women in war must be redressed. Accountability means being answerable to women for crimes committed against them and punishing those responsible. The failure throughout history to deal with crimes committed against women in war has only recently begun to be addressed. The jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1993 and of the Rwandan Tribunal (ICTR) have begun to treat crimes against women as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The newly established International Criminal Court (ICC) is one of the most significant examples of gender mainstreaming in an international treaty. From the ICC to regional, national and traditional justice systems, gender must be taken into account and women must have full access to the rule of law.