PublicationsResearchCivil Society, Public Participation, Transitional Justice, Victim AwarenessTransitional Justice in The Gambia: Enabling Popular ParticipationThis research report examines the level of popular participation in The Gambia’s transitional justice process to date and provides recommendations for ensuring more meaningful participation going forward. It begins with an overview of both formal and non-formal measures in The Gambia, before analyzing in detail the dynamics of participation in the formal measure of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission… Read More Fatou Baldeh and Lena HoumaFebruary 21, 2025
PublicationsResearchCivil Society, Public Participation, Transitional Justice, Victim AwarenessEnabling Popular Participation in Transitional Justice in SomaliaGiven the country’s increasing stability, transitional justice has become an option for addressing the violence and gross human rights violations that have marked Somalia’s history from the colonial period to the present. Experiences in other African countries over the past three decades show that transitional justice processes are more likely to be effective if they are rooted in popular participation,… Read More Farhia MohamudJanuary 15, 2025
PublicationsResearchGender-based Violence, Psychosocial Support, Social Cohesion, Violence PreventionA Rapid Response: Addressing the Shadow Pandemic of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence within South AfricaTo address the high rates of GBV in South Africa, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) implemented a project titled A Rapid Response: Addressing the Shadow Pandemic of SGBV within South Africa, funded by the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation (FREF) from December 2021 – February 2024. The project was implemented in 48 communities across eight provinces in… Read More CSVRDecember 12, 2024
PolicyPublicationsResearchAfrican Union, Civil Society, Transitional Justice, Victim AwarenessMaximising Popular Participation in Transitional Justice in Africa: A Guidance Paper for Multilateral ActorsMultilateral actors are increasingly interested in supporting transitional justice processes that maximise popular participation, especially by victims/survivors of violence and communities most affected by human rights abuses. Looking at the African context, this guidance paper outlines practical strategies for multilateral actors to mainstream participation in transitional justice processes, including formal, state-led measures and non-formal, civil society-led measures. The guidance is… Read More Simon Robins and Jasmina BrankovicDecember 11, 2024
PublicationsResearchPre Democracy, Torture and State ViolenceThe State of Torture ReportTorture in South Africa has a complex and troubling history rooted in colonial and apartheid practices, where torture was used frequently by state security forces to suppress dissent and control Black and marginalised communities. Despite legal reforms during the post-apartheid dispensation, concerns about torture and ill-treatment persist, often associated with law enforcement practices and conditions in detention centres. Challenges therefore… Read More Sinqobile Makhathini, Amina Mwaikambo and Cathy-Ann PotgieterNovember 28, 2024
PolicyPublicationsResearchAfrican Union, Gender, Socio-Economic Rights, Transitional JusticeThe State of Transitional Justice in Africa: Inclusive and Participatory Governance, Gender Equality and Socio-economic Justice in AfricaOrganised by the Department of Political Affairs and Peace and Security at the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and the National Human Rights Council of Morocco, the seventh edition of the African Transitional Justice Forum was convened in Rabat, Morocco, on 12-14 September 2023. The Forum’s diverse thematic focus ranged… Read More CSVRNovember 27, 2024
