i

Content

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

12

November

11th Assembly of

States Parties

2011-2012 Year in Review

The IJP’s success would not be possible

without the support and help of so many. To

our staff, interns, volunteers, donors, net-

work partners and organizations:

THANK YOU!