Paolina Massidda is the Principal Counsel of the independent Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) since its creation in 2005. In that capacity she represents victims in several proceedings before the Court. Previously, she practised before national and international tribunals, representing accused and victims. She worked as Legal Adviser for the International Federation of the Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross and participated as expert in several European Union training programmes. Expert in children rights and sexual and gender-based crimes, she is specialised in human rights and international humanitarian law, she holds a master in international criminal law and she is a member of the Genoa Bar (Italy) since 1992. She is founding member of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) where she has served in the Executive Committee, the Victims Committee and the Professional Standards Advisory Committee. She has published extensively on matters related to international criminal law and the rights of victims.