On 13 October 2016, the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights held a public hearing on public international law perspectives on the prosecution of Daesh’s crimes against women and girls before international jurisdictions.
A wide range of heinous crimes is being committed by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham/Greater Syria (ISIS) against civilians and minority populations in the areas in which it operates. There is currently sufficient and reliable evidence and information showing that Daesh has strategically targeted and systematically raped, tortured, enslaved and killed women and girls due to ideological grounds. While there has been global condemnation of Daesh's crimes, the international community has a long way to go before it can ensure that those responsible for these atrocities can be held accountable.
Against this background, the forthcoming hearing will bring together Members of the European Parliament and a number of experts, practitioners and academics with a view to discussing the avenues offered by public international law to prosecute crimes committed by Daesh against women and girls, before international jurisdictions, such as the International Criminal Court in the Hague.