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	Hi-Tech help in Prosecuting War Criminals by Klaus Herbst Deutsche Welle Germany   14.10.2006   Can technology help prosecute those responsible for genocide?   A German attorney has developed a new computer system he hopes will help bring international war criminals to justice more quickly and efficiently.   Prosecuting criminals for war crimes or genocide requires a complex number of laws that can baffle even the most experienced prosecutor.   That''s where Case Matrix comes in. The software helps prosecutors manage large, international trials and keeps them from dragging on indefinitely.   Klaus Rackwitz, a lawyer and administrator at the International Criminal Court in Den Haag, developed the software. While not yet in widespread use, he hopes his system will help investigators bring order to the thousands of pieces of evidence they deal with each day. The program also contains information about actual case law and important law texts. Complex case facts are simplified.   "The system has been designed so it can be used in all national and international courts," Rackwitz said.   For the most part, a world-wide legal standard exists for criminal offenses like genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, Rackwitz said. His software sees to it that everyone knows and understands these common standards.   International law is a relatively young legal discipline. Historically, very few examples exist. The Nuremberg Trials, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal and the recent ad-hoc tribunals in Yugoslavia and Rwanda are the most well-known examples.   In the case of Rwanda, a coordinated and simplified international approach would have greatly helped with the investigation into the torture and genocide there. Information technology can help make corresponding case law clearer and more coherent.   Case Matrix also helps keep users from getting bogged down in thousands of small documents and maintain perspective of the case, Rackwitz said.   "We catalogue the case law, develop it, make catchwords available," he said. "The system should help the user…not lose the overview under the hundreds or thousands of documents. And afterwards, should help to order and present the facts."   Right now the system is Internet-based. Rackwitz wants to make it also available as a software application for all computers. That would allow investigators in far-flung places without a lot of technology to also use the tool. Visit the related web page
	Rape is the most commonly reported crime against children in Cambodia by Agence France Presse   12.10.2006.   Rape is the most commonly reported crime against children in Cambodia, accounting for three-quarters of the sex offenses committed between 2002 and 2005, a new UN report said.   "More could be done to protect children from violence in all settings," the UN Children''s Fund said in the first global study conducted by the world body on all forms of violence against children.   According to the study, a total of 2,202 cases of rape, debauchery (consensual sexual acts with minors under 15 years old), trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children were reported between 2002 and 2005.   "Violence against children is not the prerogative of any adult, parent or teacher. It is extremely damaging to the individual and to our society and should never be tolerated or condoned," said Rodney Hatfield, UNICEF''s representative in Cambodia.   While Cambodia has launched many public awareness initiatives to prevent violence against children, the impoverished country still has no effective means for child victims to report crimes, UNICEF said.   "Without formal reporting and data collection systems, most cases of violence against children in Cambodia will remain invisible, never reported or recorded at all," it said.   Cambodian authorities have had some success combating sex crimes against children, particularly those committed by foreigners.   Dozens of foreigners have been jailed or deported to face trial in their home countries for child sex crimes since 2003 as Cambodia attempts to clean up its image as a destination for paedophiles.   Last month, five foreigners were arrested, including two German nationals, while a Swiss man was seized earlier in September, all on sexual abuse charges.   A total of 1,047 arrests were made for the rape, rising from just 25 in 2001 to 266 in 2005, UNICEF said.
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