The Politics of Gender Justice at the International Criminal Court Redux: 2014–2023

Abstract This article considers the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) gender justice record 25 years after the creation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It extends Louise Chappell’s original assessment of the ICC’s performance in securing gender justice, which covered the Court’s first 10 years, to analyse developments in its second decade. The article analyses new data using Chappell’s original gender justice outcomes measures – recognition, representation and redistribution – to argue that the Court has made some important advances, especially in terms of recognition. It notes the value of formal gender policies – especially, the Office of the Prosecutor’s policies on sexual and gender-based crimes and on gender persecution – in cementing new practices supporting gender justice. It also highlights areas where gaps remain, including in judicial understanding and education on the gender-justice issue and in gender-equitable redistribution through reparations and the Trust Fund for Victims’ assistance mandate.