Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was convicted of crimes of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15, on 14 March, 2012 in The Hague. This decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is unanimously recognized as a strong signal to all those who recruit and use children in armed conflicts around the world. Leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), a particularly brutal armed group native to the Ituri region of north-eastern DRC, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is the first person arrested and transferred to The Hague for trial by the ICC. The UPC has been implicated in numerous serious human rights violations that occurred between 2002 and 2003, including ethnic massacres, summary executions, torture, rape, and especially the abduction and use of children as soldiers. Hearings will be organized in the coming weeks to determine the sentence against Thomas Lubanga and reparations to victims. If this verdict marks an undeniable progress in the history of international criminal justice, essential steps are still needed in the fight against impunity and the prevention of other war crimes and crimes against humanity. Children are still involved in armed conflicts in at least a dozen countries worldwide. The verdict highlights more than ever the urgency of further prosecution against the perpetrators of serious crimes that still elude justice.