On 1 July 2017, the International Criminal Court (ICC) marked its 15th anniversary. On this occasion, the ICC has invited all those interested to tell their stories about being 15, and how events in their youth shaped their sense of justice using the hashtag #whenIwas15. This online campaign aims to engage with a broad community of those for whom justice matters, celebrate achievements thus far, and look to the future to build a more just world.

The campaign is set to run until 17 July 2017, Day of International Criminal Justice, on the ICC’s new Facebook page, and will be promoted on the Court’s Twitter accounts in English and French, as well as its YouTube Tumblr and Flickr sites. Further content can be found on a special 15^th anniversary web page. Be sure to check out the campaign video.

Background:  On 17 July 1998, at a conference in Rome, 120 States adopted a treaty, known as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. For the first time, States created a permanent international criminal court to prosecute the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

On 1 July 2002, upon ratification by 60 States, the treaty entered in to force formally establishing the International Criminal Court. On 1 July 2017, the ICC marks its 15^th anniversary.

Today 124 States are parties to the Rome Statute, striving to build a more just world.

To read more about how to join the campaign, visit the anniversary page on the ICC website here.