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Abbreviations & Acronyms………………………………………………. ii
Letter from the Founders…………………………………………………. 1
One: About the IJP
History………………………………...…………………………………….
Mission & Objectives…….…………………………………………………
2
3
Two: Casework
Mission to Philadelphia……………………………………………………..
10th List of Counsel Meeting……….……………………………………....
11th Assembly of States Parties……………………………………………..
4
4
4
Three: Emergency Response Network for Darfurian Women at Risk
Emergency Response Network……………………………………………...
Marilyn S. Broad Fellow……………………………………………………
Missions to Arizona…………………….…………………………………...
Success Stories: Follow-Up…………………………………………………
5
6
7
8
Four: Health and Reparations Project
Project Launch…………………………….….……………………………..
10
Five: Staff…………………………………………………………………... 11
Six: Highlight of Events…………………………………………………… 12
ii
Abbreviations & Acronyms
*For safety and confidentiality purposes, our clients are represented in this report
by the use of initials (OK, WW, AA, and HA).
ERN
Emergency Response Network
ESL English as a Second Language
HARP Health and Reparations Project
ICC International Criminal Court
IDP Internally Displaced Person
IJP International Justice Project
ILA Institute for Liberal Arts
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
RWHC Refugee Women’s Health Clinic
UNSC United Nations Security Council
1
A Letter from the Founders
The genocidal campaign against the Darfurians remains one of the most heinous of the
new century. In the summer of 2009, my wife Wanda and I were in East Africa when the
International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for the President of Sudan, Omar al-
Bashir, was announced. (We were serving as “experts” to a gathering of Darfurian civil
society.) There was incredible joy and an almost unanimous sense that the ICC was the
only international institution committed to justice for Darfur.
Not much has changed since then – the genocide persists, although much is forgotten in
the dust raised by other important events: the secession of South Sudan, the Arab
Spring, the plight of the Rohingyas, etc. Additionally, genocidal conduct by President
Bashir’s regime in other parts of Sudan has also captured the aspect of public attention
focused on mass atrocities around the globe.
Meanwhile, we have living within the U.S. a growing population of refugees from the
ongoing Darfur genocide unable to repatriate and trying, in the midst of a recession, to
make their way in the U.S. This population has many practical needs in terms of
economic, cultural, and linguistic adjustment. Ironically, in 10 years of conversations
with these survivors, the constant refrain we have heard from them – Zaghawa, Masalit,
Fur, leaders, followers, men, women, even children – is a request to assist them in their
quest for justice.
One way in which we have tried to answer this call is through representing them as
victims before the ICC and in building an NGO to provide support for that process. That
process, however, takes place in a critically important international legal institution, that
is itself critically underfunded by the nations who have founded it.
This is the “why” of our work with this population, and it is also “why” we presume to
ask for your support. We thank you very much, and if you have any questions or need
additional information, please do not hesitate to call or email us.
Best regards,
Raymond M. Brown, Esq. & Wanda M. Akin, Esq.
2
Section One: About the IJP
HISTORY
The IJP was founded in 2004 by Raymond M. Brown, Esq. and Wanda M. Akin, Esq., two
human rights lawyers and experts in international criminal law and members of the List of
Counsel at the ICC in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The UNSC referred the Darfur situation to the ICC in 2005 via UN Resolution 1593. The
Rome Statute, which established the ICC, grants victims the right to participate in court pro-
ceedings from the investigation phase through the appeal phase. First, however, victims must
file formal applications for participation with the ICC, and these applications must be ap-
proved by a Pre-Trial Chamber of Judges. The International Justice Project seeks to help
Darfur victims in this process.
In June 2006, Brown and Akin traveled to The Hague to file the first applications for partici-
pation on behalf of victims of the violence in Darfur, Sudan. Having consulted for the Inter-
national Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and practiced before the Special Court for Sierra Le-
one, Brown and Akin decided to focus their attention on providing the victims of the Darfur
crisis with a voice at the ICC.
To date, Brown and Akin have identified and compiled data from hundreds of potential vic-
tims of the Darfur Diaspora in Sudan, Chad and throughout the United States—including In-
diana, Maine, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, and other states.
The IJP has been actively involved in helping the victims of the Darfurian genocide and has
grown to include various programs that connect victims with the necessary resources to help
rebuild their lives. It is our hope that one day each of the victims from the Darfur crisis will
see justice.
The IJP is an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization based in Newark, New Jersey.
3
MISSION
OBJECTIVES
The IJP seeks to promote human rights through the rule of law and provide support to vic-
tims of the world’s most heinous crimes – genocide, crimes against humanity, and war
crimes. Through transitional justice mechanisms and a holistic approach, the IJP fosters
healing for the victims of mass atrocities. Our approach incorporates individual criminal
accountability, transitional justice, advocacy, education, and health.
Casework: The co-founders of the IJP are members of the List of Counsel and admitted to
practice law at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands. They represent victims participating in
the case against Sudanese President Bashir and the Darfur situation. The IJP does not en-
gage in the practice of law, but instead we support the victims in this process and assist indi-
viduals seeking to submit applications for participation in the ICC proceedings.
Advocacy: We advocate for the end of impunity and the advancement
of victims’ rights at the ICC and other international tribunals. In partic-
ular, we galvanize and work with activists, lawyers, NGOs, educational
institutions, and other organizations committed to justice, peacemaking,
and reconciliation to find ways to promote victims’ rights and the cause
of justice.
Training: We train and educate lawyers, intermediaries, advocates, ac-
tivists, students, and other interested parties on human rights and inter-
national criminal law around the world.
Programs: Through ERN and HARP, we help rebuild people’s lives after they have been
the victims of physical, emotional, and psychological harm caused by international crimes
and human rights violations.
4
Section Two: Casework
MISSION TO PHILADELPHIA
In July 2012, the IJP traveled to Philadelphia to meet with members
of the Darfurian community there. During the trip, we conducted a
series of workshops focused on three main areas: our current ERN
and HARP programs, preparing for higher education, and victim ap-
plications for ICC participation.
Dr. Deborah Bowles, President of the Raymond A. Brown Center for
Education & Public Policy, led a workshop on higher education to
guide more than 20 Darfurian children through the college application process, emphasizing the skills
that they must gain now to prepare for college. Through additional workshops, the IJP assessed the
needs and challenges of the Darfurian community in the area. Additionally, IJP interns gained valua-
ble legal experience through their outreach with the victims of the Darfur genocide. The IJP plans to
conduct more mission trips to Philadelphia to build on the success of this trip to complete new ICC
applications and coordinate with our ERN partners.
10TH LIST OF COUNSEL MEETING
In October, IJP co-founders Brown and Akin attended the 10th
Seminar and Training of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, with
IJP Program Officer Carine I. Bonduelle and IJP pro bono attorney
Afi Patterson. In preparation for the main seminar, they attended a
training on pleading techniques and current legal issues at the ICC.
The main seminar provided updates on victims and defense issues,
the crime of aggression, and the principles and procedures to be
applied to reparations. The members of the ICC List of Counsel also organized a General Assem-
bly vote for the creation of an independent association aimed at representing the members’ inter-
ests before the ICC’s organs and the Assembly of States Parties. Members decided to create this
association and elected coordinators of the Association’s Board, including the IJP’s own Brown,
to implement it.
11TH ASSEMBLY OF STATES PARTIES In November, Brown and Akin attended the 11th Assembly of States Parties in The Hague, accompa-
nied by Bonduelle and IJP Program Director Kristin Rosella. At the meeting, Brown participated in
an experts’ panel hosted by the International Bar Association, titled Raising the Bar: Exploring the
Relationship Between Lawyers and the ICC after Ten Years, and Charting the Way Forward. The
panel examined the role of lawyers in advancing the mandate of the ICC and upholding the rule of
law.
5
THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORK
FOR DARFURIAN WOMEN AT RISK
Section Three:
In December 2011, the IJP launched the ERN with support from the Marilyn S. Broad Founda-
tion. Through this program, we have provided emergent support to Darfurian women and chil-
dren in the United States who have experienced genocide and violence in Darfur. The ERN con-
nects Darfurians to a variety of services, including mental and physical health, education, trans-
portation, translation, basic necessities (e.g. food, shelter), and legal services.
The ERN functions as a peer-to-peer-network, where those who have received help identify oth-
er community members in need of assistance, and refer them to the same resources and ac-
tors. As a community traumatized by genocide, many Darfurians are cautious of people from
outside of the community, and the ERN allows many Darfurians the opportunity to assume an
active role in their community. This approach has, in turn, moved us closer to our goal of creat-
ing a systematic method for addressing the health and other needs in this community.
6
The Marilyn S. Broad Foundation is
named after an inspiring businesswoman
who understood that the right kind of
support at the right time could change the
course of a person’s destiny. Therefore, it
is fitting that the Marilyn S. Broad Foun-
dation has joined with the IJP to spear-
head the ERN.
The IJP currently hosts Rosella, also the IJP’s Program Director, as the 2011-2012 Marilyn S.
Broad Fellow. Rosella has helped to create a reliable network of interpreters, physical and
mental health care professionals, social workers, educators, lawyers, and others who work to
meet the urgent needs of Darfurian women and their families. As the ERN coordinator, Rosel-
la has successfully executed the responsibilities of:
Outreach to individual Darfurian women in need;
Quick situation assessment and response coordination for beneficiaries;
Understanding and calibrating strategies through study of Darfurian gender and
community concerns;
Developing relationships with appropriate experts and organizations to broaden
the ERN;
Organizing and coordinating Health and Human Rights Workshops for Darfurian
women and their families; and
Raising awareness of the plight of the Darfurian community in the United States.
MARILYN S. BROAD FELLOW
7
In February, AA introduced us to a Darfurian
women’s group leader, OK, in Phoenix, Arizona.
OK immediately invited us to Phoenix to work
with more than 25 women and their families. The
local women had formed a support group that met
about once every three months. The IJP traveled to
Phoenix in late February to attend a women’s
group meeting, and to conduct a needs assessment
and health and human rights training with the
women and their families.
MISSIONS TO ARIZONA—
MEETING THE NEEDS OF A COMMUNITY
Through our needs assessment, the IJP determined that the women’s main concerns were: (1) edu-
cating themselves, including learning English; (2) finding work to provide for their children; and
(3) accessing daycare for their children. Additionally, several pregnant women needed antenatal
care. Others suffered from severe depression. Many of the children were struggling in school, be-
cause they had learned English at a later age than their classmates.
In early May, we returned to Phoenix to conduct a second health and human rights workshop for
the women and their families. Partner organizations sent representatives to join the IJP, including:
The Refugee Women’s Health Clinic, a health center for refugee women;
Dr. Dawn Noggle, a mental health professional;
Parent and Child School Support Services, providing ESL classes and tutor ing;
Asser Law Group, P.C., an immigration and asylum law firm;
Lutheran Social Services, a national resettlement organization; and
Several volunteer babysitters to watch the children during the workshop.
Since May, several of the women have made appointments at the Refugee Women’s Health Clin-
ic. The women’s group has also developed into an official organization called the Darfur Wom-
en’s & Children’s Association and hopes to file for 501(c)(3) status. The IJP’s program manager,
Jessica Couleur, started after-school tutoring classes for the children. Finally, Dr. Noggle and the
RWHC have held group discussion sessions to identify mental health challenges and to direct par-
ticipants to appropriate services.
The women were all from Darfur and had suffered tremendously. Some had experienced vio-
lence firsthand, while others’ had witnessed violence and other trauma against friends or family
members. Some families had arrived recently, but others had been in the United States for sever-
al years. All were struggling to rebuild their lives and a sense of community in the United States.
8
SUCCESS STORIES: FOLLOW-UP
AA was born in Darfur, where she lived with her
family until her village was attacked and burned by
the government. After some of her family members
were killed, their property and animals stolen, and
their home destroyed, AA and her remaining family fled from Darfur to Sudan’s capital city of
Khartoum. Eventually, she made her way to Egypt, where she volunteered as the Secretary of Dar-
furian Women in her community. In 2003, she traveled to the United States as a refugee with her
husband and two small children. They were resettled in Phoenix, Arizona, and AA began rebuild-
ing her life, eventually becoming a United States citizen.
Upon arrival in the United States, AA found it ex-
tremely difficult to find work. She moved to Utah
and Alaska for various jobs, but her husband di-
vorced her and took her teenage son to live with
him in Utah. AA moved to New Jersey to be clos-
er to relatives, but since she was unemployed, she
and her daughter were forced into a homeless
shelter. After nearly a year in the shelter, AA was
able to find temporary housing and began receiv-
ing government benefits.
The IJP met AA and her daughter through a former IJP intern soon after AA moved into her tem-
porary housing. Although AA had basic necessities, she felt depressed because of her personal or-
deals and the suffering of fellow Darfurians. AA began seeing a social worker who provided men-
tal health services, and she decided that she wanted to help others in similar situations.
AA began volunteering for the IJP as a community outreach leader and enrolled in ESL classes in
New Jersey. Because of AA’s work, the IJP discovered new Darfurian communities in Nebraska,
Alaska, Utah, and Arizona. As a result, the IJP has been able to assist more women throughout the
country. The IJP will continue to help AA pursue her education and job training, including sup-
porting her as a leader in the Darfurian community and connecting other women with the ERN.
THE IJP’S FIRST
COMMUNITY OUTREACH LEADER
“The women of Darfur are suffering—really, really
suffering. Even though I am still struggling, I want
to help other women. It is important that women
know their rights in the U.S.”
-AA, IJP Community Outreach Leader
9
HA is a single Darfurian woman who
was tortured and imprisoned by the Su-
danese government because of her
work in the IDP camps in Darfur,
where she interviewed female victims of rape and other violence and documented their trauma.
HA was brought to the United States in March 2012 by the U.S. State Department after Secretary
Hillary Clinton awarded her the 2012 International Woman of Courage Award for her work.
We met HA shortly after she received the award from the State Department. HA was traveling to
Darfurian communities in the U.S. to tell them about the ongoing violence in Darfur, especially
against women. She told us that she feared for her life if she returned to Sudan and she wanted to
file for asylum here. We also learned that the State Department had not provided her with any
support: the Darfurian communities were raising money to pay for her travel and help house her.
HA is our newest ERN beneficiary, and we are helping her find an asylum attorney, emergency
shelter, food, and ESL classes. HA wants to become an IJP community outreach leader while she
continues her studies. She also hopes to become a lawyer and fight for human rights and women’s
rights worldwide.
REFUGEE, ACTIVIST, AND 2012 INTERNATIONAL
WOMAN OF COURAGE
SUCCESS STORIES: FOLLOW-UP
After WW graduated from the University of Khar-
toum, she was unable to find a job because she
was a Darfurian. When the conflict began in 2003,
she returned to Darfur and became an activist, educating women in the IDP camps about their hu-
man rights. This drew the ire of the Sudanese government, and she was arrested and threatened.
Her brothers were tortured, and she lived in constant fear for her life and for the lives of her family
members. In 2011, WW escaped to the United States, arriving with scarce resources, few contacts,
and no place to stay.
The IJP engaged WW in the ERN and connected her with a pro bono lawyer from Human Rights
First to help her file an asylum application. The IJP also found her temporary housing in the New
York area, paid for her daily transportation, and provided her with food and other basic necessi-
ties. Critically, we ensured that WW was able to meet with an Arabic-speaking therapist who
could help her through her traumatic experience and major life changes.
After several months, we found WW permanent housing with the help of two partner organiza-
tions, the Darfur Rehabilitation Project and House to Home Davis & Young Realty. The IJP also
gave WW the emotional support and encouragement she needed to start rebuilding her life.
Soon afterward, WW learned that she was granted asylum and would receive work authorization
shortly. WW is excited to build her new life and aspires to continue her work as an activist for
Darfurian women in the United States.
DARFURIAN ACTIVIST
AND SUCCESFUL ASYLUM SEEKER
10
In October, representatives of the IJP and our Darfurian allies
traveled to Boston, MA, to launch the IJP’s newest pro-
gram—the Darfurian Community Health and Reparations
Project—in partnership with Boston College’s Institute for the Liberal Arts. Nearly 100 people
attended the launch, including Boston College students and faculty, IJP partner organizations,
NGOs, human rights activists from the region, friends, and family.
Section Four:
Health and Reparations Project
PROJECT LAUNCH
HARP is a health and welfare audit of the Darfurian Diaspora living in the U.S. It assesses the
conditions, needs, and desires of this population. Through this program, we seek to give voice to
Darfurians, in relation to reparations in the context of the ICC and as part of potential diplomatic
solutions for the Darfur conflict.
Key Objectives:
To organize a health and welfare audit among selected North American Darfurian Diaspora com-
munities to better understand their needs and the causes of community-wide malaise, depres-
sion, and detachment;
To galvanize public and private resources to provide immediate care to, and address the needs of,
these individuals in the U.S., and eventually elsewhere in the Diaspora;
To serve as a catalyst for the development of a strategy to address reparations at the ICC proceed-
ings, with the expectation that this process can help develop a multifaceted approach to restora-
tive justice, including examinations of restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation in legal and
diplomatic contexts; and
To establish interdisciplinary partnerships. Utilizing interdisciplinary and social justice approach-
es, this project aims to translate, from the language of psychology and sociology to the lan-
guage of law and politics, the harm caused to a traumatized community and that community’s
vision for how the harm should be addressed.
11
Each year, the IJP hosts a summer internship program for
graduate and undergraduate students and provides them
with unparalleled opportunities in international criminal
law and human rights. This includes high-level meetings
and lectures, interaction with clients and survivors of genocide, assisting with victim applications, and
drafting policy and other papers. Our interns are from diverse backgrounds with experience in many
different areas. We seek to prepare them for their future and help create the next generation of human
rights lawyers, advocates, leaders, and activists.
Section Five: Staff
PROGRAM OFFICER
CARINE BONDUELLE
Bonduelle has been the Program Officer at the IJP since April
2012. She assists Darfurian refugees in applying to participate in
the proceedings at the ICC. Bonduelle also supports the develop-
ment of other projects, including the BashirWatch Coalition and
the Emergency Response Network.
Before becoming a French lawyer specializing in human rights,
Bonduelle coordinated the implementation of a judicial reform in
Togo on behalf of the European Union. She also assessed the
Gacaca court system, working for English NGO Penal Reform In-
ternational in Rwanda, where she lived 12 years before fleeing the
1994 genocide.
PROGRAM
COORDINATOR,
DARFURIAN
EMERGENCY
NETWORK
JOY FOLEY
Joy Foley is a senior at Hunter College pursuing a
degree in Sociology and Human Rights. Foley is
very passionate about the universality of human
rights and social justice. Her dream job would be to
work at an NGO with an emphasis on Africa. She is
the co-director of Mission of Mercy Uganda, a
small organization dedicated to improving the qual-
ity of life for Ugandans through comprehensive
health care and education. She travels to northern
Uganda each summer.
Jessica Couleur is a longtime friend of the refugee communi-
ty in Phoenix, Arizona, having worked with families and
children from South Sudan, Afghanistan, Liberia, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. She received her MBA from
Arizona State University and spent 20 years in high-tech and international operations finance. She be-
gan volunteering with Darfurian refugees in 2007, and she has volunteered with the International Res-
cue Committee and Phoenix Save Darfur. Currently, she is pursuing her certification in special educa-
tion and is actively tutoring and mentoring grade-school through high school-aged refugee children.
She loves to travel and has been to Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Kenya.
PHOENIX PROJECT MANAGER
JESSICA COULEUR
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM