New poll finds Americans are supportive of dedicating resources to the ICC and their work to combat rape as a war crime.
Washington, D.C., June 8, 2016 – In anticipation of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) upcoming briefing before the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur/Sudan, the American Bar Associations’ (ABA) ICC Project today released the results of its most recent polling on Americans’ opinions on the ICC and recent related events. Done in partnership with Ipsos Public Affairs, the results show a continued positive trend in American support for the ICC, including a 5% increase from the November 2015 polling data that the United States government should dedicate financial, military, intelligence, and other resources to the ICC. In addition, a clear majority of Americans (68%) support the Court’s principles, agreeing that “it is important for the United States to participate in international organizations that support human rights and that hold individuals accountable for mass atrocities.”
This quarterly polling also asked Americans for their opinions on rape and sexual violence as a war crime, and related issues. Specifically, Americans were asked for their opinions on the ICC’s trial against former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, which marked the ICC’s first conviction for sexual assault and rape as a war crime and first conviction of a superior for crimes committed by their subordinates. Furthermore, opinions were asked about the all-female judicial panel that handed down the conviction of Mr. Bemba. A supermajority of Americans agree that the ICC should be able to hold leaders accountable for failing to punish the criminal behavior (including sexual and gender-based crimes) of their subordinates (77%). Furthermore, over half of the US public believes that the ICC is a good example of female empowerment and a similar number believes that the United States should support the ICC because it is aligned with American values.
For more information on the most recent ABA’s ICC Project/Ipsos poll, please visit the polling report.
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) International Criminal Court (ICC) Project is an independent initiative of the ABA Center for Human Rights that advances international criminal justice and US-ICC relations through advocacy, education and practical legal assistance. More information about the ABA’s ICC Project can be found at its website.