The Ferencz Initiative is working to equip the next generation of change-agents, both in the US and in countries affected by mass atrocities, with the tools, skills, and knowledge to become justice champions. Our training, education, and mentorship programs focus on supporting potential change-agents to play a positive and out-sized role in processes to prevent and redress atrocities. Through our research, we aim to contribute to a world in which more domestic justice systems help to prevent, halt, and prosecute international crimes and an environment in which national and international institutions and courts prioritize meaningful victim engagement and outreach. We engage with many actors whose input is required to realize this vision, such as law students, victims, civil society representatives, criminal justice system officials in countries at risk of atrocities, and policy-makers.
Spotlight: Pursuing Justice Handbook
The Ferencz Initiative has developed a cutting-edge handbook on pursuing justice for atrocities for victims, survivors, and their civil society representatives. The handbook, Pursuing Justice for Mass Atrocities: A Handbook for Victim Groups, serves as a companion guide to the work of our Justice Advisory Groups. It canvases the full range of tactics and strategies needed to pursue justice, from building diverse and representative victim-driven coalitions with clearly defined goals and engaging different actors about the need for justice, to documenting crimes, implementing security protocols, and securing funding and resources for these efforts. Developed through interviews with experts and practitioners about lessons learned from previous transitional justice efforts, the handbook aims to provide change-agents with highly practical information to confront common challenges as they seek to advance justice that responds to the needs and interests of affected communities.
Spotlight: Training Program for Criminal Justice System Actors
History shows that while criminal justice system actors can be perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity, they can also serve on the front lines of preventing and responding to atrocities. The “Lessons in Leadership: Criminal Justice Approaches for Preventing Mass Atrocities” course and the Guide to Criminal Justice and Preventing Mass Atrocities offer guidance and instruction to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of criminal justice professionals globally to act locally to prevent and respond to genocide and mass atrocities. These materials were developed by the Museum through an interagency agreement with the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The development of these resources utilized the Museum’s unique expertise on the Holocaust and genocide prevention, the knowledge and experience of experts from related fields, and criminal justice professionals from around the world.
