what is rome statute

The Rome Statute is a treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC) . It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998, and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of November 2019, 123 states are party to the statute. The Rome Statute is significant in being the first international criminal law instrument that recognizes forms of sexual violence, such as rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, and enforced sterilization, as distinct war crimes. It sets out the crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the ICC, which include genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. When a state becomes a party to the Rome Statute, it agrees to submit itself to the jurisdiction of the ICC with respect to the crimes enumerated in the Statute. The ICC has jurisdiction over these crimes when they are committed by nationals of a state party, on the territory of a state party, or when the United Nations Security Council refers a situation to the ICC.