Global #justicematters campaign for #17july wraps up with a last word from the communities affected by crimes
This year's #justicematters social media campaign and activities garnered large support worldwide. States representatives, civil society organizations, women's groups, legal professionals and scholars, children, youth and elders all over the world sent the strong messages about the many ways in which justice matters to us all. Numerous activities took place around this date in The Hague (The Netherlands) where the seat of the Court is located, as well as at the United Nations headquarters in New York (USA) and in Dakar (Senegal). Most active were the communities affected by crimes in countries where the ICC is investigating, particularly through Outreach activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and Kenya.
To wrap up the campaign, the Court is posting its fourth story on its new Outreach blog, with a story of how communities affected by crimes in Northern Uganda celebrated peace and justice, claiming 17 July as their own. "Communities have their say and their day: Justice Matters" can be found here: http://www.iccoutreach.tumblr.com Follow the blog to continue hearing about the ICC's engagement with communities affected by crimes.
Activities surrounding the Day of International Criminal Justice, marked the 17th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which seeks to prosecute and deter genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. Further details and photos of 17 July activities can be found below.
Outreach in communities affected by crimes
Activities in affected communities in Uganda included a brass-band led march for justice held in Lukodi market center with over 1,000 participants; a "Play for Justice" football tournament won by team Lukodi; and a roundtable dialogue "Sexual violence: Opportunities and Challenges to access Justice" held in partnership with the Platform for Social Justice and attended by 60 participants. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a press conference served to inform the public about the online campaign and was transmitted live on Radio Okapi; in addition, some 130 people visited the Justice Matters exhibit displayed in Bunia. In Kenya, the population commemorated the day by holding radio talk-shows, public forums and theatre performances. In Côte d'Ivoire, the conference on "The Future of the ICC in Africa" was organised in partnership with the Ivoirian Coalition for the ICC. In Central African Republic radio talk-shows were held.
New Outreach blog
The ICC launched its new Outreach blog (http://www.iccoutreach.tumblr.com) this 17 July, so followers can hear stories throughout the year from ICC staff working directly with communities affected by crimes under the Court's jurisdiction: genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Contributing writers engage grassroots communities to inform them about victims' rights, explain judicial proceedings, answer questions, address concerns, and foster realistic expectations about the Court's work. Stories and photographs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Côte d'Ivoire have been posted so far, with stories from Kenya coming soon.
Contributing writers:
Worldwide call for photos on Facebook
Hundreds of participants shared photographs expressing why #justicematters to them on the ICC's temporary #17July Facebook page, which will close today. The campaign's resulting mosaic of over 288 photograph submissions from more 58 countries, represents all regions of the world and is a symbol of the global support for all those who stand for justice. The countries from which the ICC received the most submissions were the DRC, Kenya and Uganda.
Call for tweets using the #17July and #JusticeMatters hashtags
Ambassadors, legal professionals, students, leaders, NGOs, and many others from across the globe, sent messages of support on Twitter, voiced concerns about the need for justice, or reconfirmed their solidarity with survivors of mass atrocities, with the aim of generating discussion and awareness of issues surrounding international criminal justice.
For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected].
You can also follow the Court's activities on YouTube and Twitter