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Backgrounder: Sexual violence against girl soldiers

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27 September 2010 - The Rome Statute, establishing the International Criminal Court, is the first treaty that considers sexual and gender-based violence as crimes against humanity and war crimes. This includes rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy and all other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity.

In the case of Thomas Lubanga, accused of enlisting, conscripting and using child soldiers in conflict, sexual violence has also become a critical issue.

Produced in partnership with 3 Generations

Lubanga Chronicles

The 'Lubanga Chronicles' document the first ever trial at the International Criminal Court. On 26 January 2009, the Chief Prosecutor announced to the Judges that his team would prove that between 2002 and 2003, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo recruited children under the age of 15 as soldiers for his political military movement, the Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC), and its armed militia the Forces Patriotiques pour la Liberation du Congo (FPLC). On this day the ICC made a powerful statement: recruiting children to fight is a war crime which will be prosecuted and punished.

Since the trial started, thirty witnesses have testified before this Court: former child soldiers, experts, military commanders, social workers, UN staff. All of them came to The Hague with the purpose of telling this Court what happened in Ituri, a remote North-Eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They told of how children were abducted and transported to military camps; how they were trained to kill; how they were punished; how they were raped. This trial presents tales of human suffering but also stories of survival and hope.

Created by Sheila Vélez of the Aegis Trust, together with 3 Generations. Read more...