On 29 November 2022, PJI co-Founder Max Marcus spoke about her experience strengthening domestic accountability for conflict-related sexual violence as part of a panel entitled, “Tackling Impunity: Strengthening Domestic Accountability for CRSV” during the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office’s second Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Conference in London.

Max was joined by a panel of colleagues that PJI is proud to work alongside, including Shyrete Tahiri Sulimani, SEMA Network member, survivor, and campaigner from Kosovo; Director of Public Prosecutions in Kenya, Noordin Haji; United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten; Erin Farrell Rosenberg of the Dr Mukwege Foundation; and the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin. Closing remarks were given both by the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten and Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon.

As part of her contributions, Max noted the remarkable progress toward domestic accountability that has been achieved since the PSVI Summit in 2014. Specifically, Max highlighted the Stadium massacre case being prosecuted in the national courts in Guinea; the 64 cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) being prosecuted in Kosovo’s national courts; the remarkable convictions for CRSV and other crimes in Guatemala; and the filing of the first Crimes Against Humanity case – including CRSV crimes – in Kenya’s national courts. The DPP of Kenya thanked PJI for the work which has made this case possible in Kenya, and SRSG Patten thanked PJI for drafting the Model Legislative Provisions, which enable national legislatures to ensure there is a solid framework for accountability for CRSV in national courts.

We invite you to watch the recording of Max’s speech, which lays out PJI’s vision of supporting local justice actors to apply international law in their national courts – a vision that is becoming a reality in places like Kosovo, Guinea, and Kenya.