Innocenti Working Papers Children and Accountability for International Crimes: The contribution of international criminal courts AUTHOR(S) Cecile Aptel Published: 2010 Innocenti Working Papers This paper analyses the extent to which international and ‘mixed’ or ‘hybrid’ criminal courts, in particular the International Criminal Court (ICC), have focused on crimes against children and dealt with children as victims, witnesses and potential offenders. The paper underlines the major role played recently by international courts, notably the Special Court for Sierra Leone, followed by the ICC, in criminalizing as war crimes the conscription or enlistment of children and their use to participate actively in hostilities. The Special Court was the first to hand down convictions for these crimes. The first cases before the ICC also concern the unlawful recruitment of children for their use in hostilities, bringing these crimes to the fore. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 50 | Thematic area: Child Protection, Conflict and Displacement, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Juvenile Justice, Rights of the Child | Tags: children in armed conflicts, children's rights, crimes against humanity, criminal responsibility, rights of children in armed conflicts, transitional justice × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Cecile Aptel 2010 Children and Accountability for International Crimes: The contribution of international criminal courts. , pp. 50.