The Child in Icc Proceedings

International law and state practice mirrors the recognition of children's particular need for protection during peacetime, but in situations in which international crimes are being committed the prosecution of international crimes committed against children before international courts and tribunals is also well embedded. While international prosecutions are thus in line with the overall development of protecting children from the consequences of armed conflict and large scale violence, the involvement of the child in international criminal proceedings also gives rise to new questions which relate to the procedural involvement of the child.As child participation in the proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) constitutes a matter of fact, one may raise the question whether such participation is a welcome development. This study examines the procedural implications of child participation and thereby intends to contribute legal views and perspectives to the underlying debate on the adequacy of child participation in ICC proceedings. The study concludes with ten recommendations that underline the call.

Helen Beckmann-Hamzei is PhD-candidate at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies Leiden University, under the supervision of Professor Zegveld (Gieskes Chair). Her PhD research deals with the child war victims' access to justice during and in the aftermath of an armed conflict and the enforcement of their rights. In addition to her research, Helen lectures in the Bachelor's and LL.M. Programmes in Public International Law. Due to generous funding of the Gieskesfoundation Helen established together with Prof. Liesbeth Zegveld the new master course Protection of War Victims under International Law. Helen graduated in 2004 at Radboud University in Nijmegen. In the spring of 2006 she completed her LL.M. (cum laude) in International and European Law at Utrecht University. Helen has working-experience in the field of national, international criminal law and international humanitarian law as a result of her internships at the law offices Böhler Franken Koppe Wijngaarden and Wladimiroff & Waling in Amsterdam and The Hague. In 2009 Helen Helen stayed for a few months at the Office of the Public Counsel for Victims at the International Criminal Court to do research with regard to child war victims' access to justice.