Miriam Specka

— Miriam Specka —

Miriam is currently pursuing a dual degree in Law and International Relations at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), where she volunteers at the Unidad de Atención a la Violencia por Causa de Género -the university’s center for attending to gender violence cases reported by students- and previously served on the Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica team. Passionate about using social media to foster a sense of community and share the stories of those around us, Miriam founded Humans of la Tizapán, a “Humans of New York” inspired project for the borough ITAM is located in. When not immersed in activities related to her academic and professional interests -namely transitional justice, international criminal law, investigative journalism and refugee rights- she can be found polishing up her Bosnian language skills over Zoom and writing poetry for her loyal readers, which she someday hopes to publish.
Sexual Violence Cases at the ICTY: The Tribunal’s Legacy in Domestic and International Law
As early as 1992, the world had become aware of and alarmed by the sexual violence being committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, and sought to establish a tribunal that would bring perpetrators to justice.

Sexual Violence Cases at the ICTY: The Effectiveness of the Tribunal and the Complementary Role of the Court of BiH
The ICTY was tasked with prosecuting the enormous number of human rights violations that were committed in Bosnia during the war. Although it had a number of successes and was generally well-viewed by the public, the Tribunal faced setbacks and many cases of wartime sexual violence have most likely remained unpunished. As the Tribunal essentially had an expiration date from the start, local jurisdictions - such as the Court of BiH - have played a crucial role in completing its work and building on the precedents it set.