UPDATE: The International Criminal Court’s Policy on Children is officially set to launch on November 16, 2016. If you are interested in reading the policy in its draft format you may do so in either English or French here.

ICC OTP publishes Draft Policy on International Crimes affecting children: ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has published a Draft Policy on Children, a document intended to guide the Office of the Prosecutor both in its efforts to ensure accountability for international crimes against or affecting children, and in the interactions it has with children during the course of its work. The draft Policy, which is based on the Rome Statute and other ICC regulatory instruments, collects together existing good practices and topical international jurisprudence, drawing from the OTP’s experience and relevant lessons learned to date. Marking the publishing of the draft Policy, Prosecutor Bensouda stated that it “demonstrates our firm commitment to closing the impunity gap for crimes against or affecting children, and adopting a child-sensitive approach in all aspects of our work bearing in mind their rights and best interests. It is also our hope that the Policy, once adopted, will serve as a useful guide to national authorities in their efforts to address crimes against children.” (ICC Press Release)

 

*I have also written earlier posts here and here.