German Code of Crimes against International Law: gender bias and the need for reform Analyse Germany’s government likes to consider itself a global pioneer in the field of international criminal law, and yet the German Code of Crimes against International Law (Völkerstrafgesetzbuch, CCAIL) contains a gender bias that hampers the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict in accordance with the Statute of the International Criminal Court. By Karina Theurer
A tribute to a woman who is making legal history Speech With her work the lawyer Joumana Seif has played a critical role in having sexualised violence recognised as an offence that constitutes a crime against humanity, says Dr. Imme Scholz, head of the Anne Klein Women's Award jury. By Imme Scholz
How I energise myself to do the work I do Speech In her acceptance speech Joumana Seif talks about the long road necessary to prosecute the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, to punish the perpetrators and also about the injustices suffered by women and how she is trying to support them in Germany. By Joumana Seif
Sexual violence in the conflict in northern Ethiopia Since 2020 a war has been ongoing in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. The conflict quickly spread to the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Sexual violence is being employed deliberately and systematically as an instrument of war by all parties to the conflict in northern Ethiopia. By Franziska Ulm Düsterhöft
No Women, No Peace Speech It was a long way before the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 on the prevention of war and sexual violence against women got on track. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the resolution, Barbara Unmüßig speaks about what steps and actions have to be taken to approach the goal of female participation in phases of conflict. By Barbara Unmüßig
Sexual Violence in the Holocaust: Perspectives from Ghettos and Camps in Ukraine Background The experiences of women in the Second World War with sexualised violence show that some suffering was gender-specific. According to the sources, sexualised violence against Jewish women and girls was not a by-product of the war, but the war itself, organised and controlled by those who denied Jews their right to exist. By Marta Havryshko
“Because I would have to be sterilized” Report Across Europe, trans people are denied their right to have their gender recognized, unless they fulfill invasive requirements. Human rights bodies have clearly affirmed: this is a violation of trans people’s human rights. By Dodo Karsay
The Yogyakarta Principles +10 Reflection International human rights law and the rights of trans people. The Yogyakarta Principles plus 10 reflects on how international law has evolved in this area. By Dodo Karsay
Emily Nasrallah: The “peasant woman” who wrote about her land and won the heart of the world Homage The Goethe Medal 2017 will be given to Lebanese writer Emily Nasrallah. In her texts for adults and children, she has found a poetic language to describe everyday life in the Lebanon drawn by the civil war. By Deema Keadbey
"It became my mission to locate women's voices" Interview Urvashi Butalia is one of India’s foremost feminists. On the occasion of her receiving Germany’s Goethe Medal on August 28, 2017 in Weimar, we have talked to her about her work as a publisher, feminism, writing and politics in India. By Axel Harneit-Sievers
