The Path towards Greater Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Victim Application Processes of the International Criminal Court

A unique facet of the International Criminal Court is that it allows victims to participate in the justice process and claim reparations against convicted persons. In order to effectively exercise these rights, victims must complete application forms. Over the years, in light of the sheer number of victims seeking to exercise their rights, efforts at enhancing efficiency have focused on reducing the length and breadth of victim application forms and increasing the predictability of the systems utilized by the Court to collect and assess those forms. While laudable achievements have been made, it is argued herein that the Court can further enhance efficiency and victims’ accessibility to proceedings by: committing to earlier action on victim application processes; exploiting potential synergies between victim processes; and pivoting away from paper-based applications in favour of a more digitalized, technology-driven process.