Children born of war: the recognition of children born of war as victims in the Ongwen case

This article explores the challenges associated with recognizing children born of war as victims within the framework of international criminal law. Focusing on the case of Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier and senior commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), this article analyses how the criteria established in the definition of victim in the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International Criminal Court have been applied to children born of war. Through this analysis, it brings to the fore conceptual challenges to the recognition of children as victims and highlights the risks that the binary victim-perpetrator that characterises the international criminal narrative presents to a comprehensive understanding of these children experiences and needs.