Handa Center hosts members of ICC's Trust Fund for Victims
On November 1, 2018, the Handa Center for Human Rights & International Justice recently hosted our Annual Lecture on International Justice: a distinguished panel representing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Trust Fund for Victims.
The Trust Fund works to address the harms caused to victims of mass atrocities, or crimes that would fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction, by implementing reparations. The Fund provides much-needed physical, psychological and material support for victims, their families, and communities, yet is almost entirely funded through voluntary contributions.
Panelists included:
- Motoo Noguchi, Chair of the Board of Directors, The Trust Fund for Victims, Ambassador for International Judicial Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, former UN international judge at the ECCC/UNAKRT.
- Felipe Michelini, Member of theBoard of Directors, Trust Fund for Victims, Attorney and Professor specialized in Human Rights and International Justice. Honorary Commissioner for the Working Group for Truth and Justice Montevideo, Uruguay.
- Erin Rosenberg, Legal Officer, Trust Fund for Victims, Attorney (Indiana), Adjunct Professor University of Cincinnati.
- The panel was moderated by Beth Van Schaack, Handa Center Faculty Fellow and Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights, Stanford Law School
Judge Noguchi told the audience that victims are still waiting for actual benefits. “It takes victims much longer than they suppose” it will take to get their benefits and judgments.
Erin Rosenberg noted the ICC was designed to intervene in ongoing conflicts. This means that partners are tasked with implementing reparations in a place where there is conflict. This greatly affects the Trust Fund’s ability to implement them. She discussed hazards of the job, saying “any time someone from TFV shows up in a town that has been investigated, there’s a chance of being robbed,” because some people may assume they have cash payments on-hand.
Professor Michelini commented that the victim is not simply the beneficiary of a monetary award the Trust Fund thought they should have, but rather they are a participant in a process of making their voices heard.
The Handa Center thanks John Rough for the generous support he provided for this lecture, and Stanford Law School for the use of their space.
Watch the video of this event and read the original event description.
