ABSTRACT
This first chapter introduces the book by defining the main parameters studied – namely atrocity crimes and the international or hybrid courts which have dealt with such offences: the International Military Tribunals of Nuremberg and Tokyo; the United Nations-established International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda; the Special Court for Sierra Leone; and the International Criminal Court. This chapter also circumscribes the term ‘children’ on the basis of a multi-disciplinary approach and depicts briefly how international crimes affect children.
