Assessment of The Role of Trust Fund for Victims of
International Crimes Under the Rome Statute

Afuh Loveline Mbah (PhD Research Fellow, University of Buea)

Published: 28/02/2026

Abstract:

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has made a significant advancement compared to earlier courts regarding the rights of victims, especially by broadening the ways in which they can be protected, involved, and compensated. Article 75 states that reparations can be given either directly by the person found guilty or through the Trust Fund mentioned in Article 79. This article assesses the role of the Trust Fund for Victims of international crimes under the Rome Statute. In realising this objective, it adopts a qualitative research methodology, and the method used is the doctrinal method. The Trust Fund is very important as far as compensation for victims of international crimes is concerned. However, it suffers from inadequate resources that impede its effective role. It is demonstrated that the function of the Trust Fund is twofold: first, it can be used by the Court as depository, and it can be used by the Court as intermediary. It is recommended that the TFV also focus its attention on gathering voluntary contributions that will ensure the fulfilment of the reparation awards. Despite the inherent challenges, the TFV could still offer valuable lessons, or at the very least motivation for starting similar projects. These projects can help deal with certain issues such as the Rwanda genocide or serve a larger goal similar to the Fund for victims of torture.