Invitation to Tribunal’s celebration of International Women’s Day

The Hague, 27 February 2012
JKE/CS/PA492e

Journalists are cordially invited to attend the Tribunal’s celebration of International Women’s Day on Thursday, 8 March 2012. Organised by the Tribunal’s Office of the Focal Point for Women in conjunction with the Staff Union under the banner “Women Who Inspire”, the event will promote awareness of issues surrounding sexual violence against women.

This year, the guest speaker will be Kathryn Bolkovac, author of "The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Women's Fight for Justice" an inspiration for the movie "The Whistleblower", which portrays her courageous fight against sex trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The audience will have the opportunity to take part in a free floor discussion following her presentation.

The subject matter of this year’s event is particularly fitting given the Tribunal’s groundbreaking work on the prosecution and adjudication of sexual violence crimes in the former Yugoslavia. Its contribution to the development of jurisprudence in this area includes the recognition of rape and sexual enslavement as crimes against humanity.

Speaking about the event, Michelle Jarvis, the Tribunal’s Focal Point for Women and Focal point for the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, said “Kathryn Bolkovac’s story reinforces the devastating link between armed conflict, sexual violence and human trafficking. Her courage in speaking out has shaped new United Nations policies to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse and inspires us to increase our commitment to zero tolerance of these crimes. We are pleased to provide ICTY staff and other guests with an opportunity to hear directly from Kathryn and to ask her questions about her experiences working in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

The Office of the ICTY Focal Point for Women is a mechanism for ensuring that gender issues are effectively dealt with at the ICTY and is part of the strategy for improving the overall situation of women throughout the United Nations system.

The event will be held in the Tribunal’s lobby from 16:00 to 18:00. Journalists wishing to attend should contact the Media Office at press [at] icty.org by Tuesday, 6 March at 17:00.