In the brief history of the Court, the Office of the Prosecutor has brought c...

In the brief history of the Court, the Office of the Prosecutor has brought charges for sexual violence against 13 of the 27 individuals for whom he has requested warrants of arrest or summonses to appear, charging sexual violence as a war crime, a crime against humanity and an act of genocide. Indeed, as International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor-Elect Fatou Bensouda has stated, the most striking quality of the pursuit of gender crimes by the Court to date has been their centrality to every prosecution so far. While the Court cannot deal with all instances of sexual violence, it has nevertheless proven itself to be a powerful tool for bringing those responsible for the gravest such crimes to justice.

The nexus between the United Nations and the ICC in the fight against sexual violence is very clear. The Court is active in six of the situations highlighted in the Secretary-General's report, whether through preliminary examinations, investigations or prosecutions. However, the Rome Statute limits the Court's reach to its States parties, and to crimes committed after 1 July 2002. Crimes falling outside those two criteria are the specific responsibility of the States concerned and, where necessary, of the Security Council, for, as the preamble to the Rome Statute reminds us, grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world. The Council has also recognized conflict-related sexual violence as a threat to international peace and security, condemning its use as a tactic of war.