PolicyPublicationsAfrican Union, Amnesty, Capacity Building, Children and Youth, Gender-based Violence, Inequalities, Memory and Memorialisation, Mental Health, Prosecutions and Pardons, Reconciliation, Reparations and Victim Services, Restorative Justice, Social Cohesion, Transitional Justice, Truth CommissionsAFRICAN UNION TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE POLICY IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE: LESOTHOThe policy brief highlights the persistent violence in Lesotho since its independence in 1966, which has severely impacted democratic governance, human rights, and socio-economic development. It emphasizes the need for a cultural shift towards peace through the implementation of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) to promote justice, reconciliation, and social cohesion. The paper outlines the historical context of… Read More Prof. Khabele MatlosaApril 25, 2025
MHPSSPublicationsResearchMental Health, Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, Transitional Justice, Trauma and TransitionThe Power of We: How collective processes allow healing after mass atrocity – Reflections from the fieldIn 2024, the Global Learning Hub for Transitional Justice and Reconciliation convened partners, AJAR, the Berghof Foundation, CSVR, and Dejusticia in a collaborative workstream on Collective Healing. Through a joint process of learning and reflection, the team examined diverse country experiences to inform more transformative approaches to transitional justice, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. Drawing on institutional reflections and field-based practices from… Read More CSVRApril 17, 2025
MediaVideosPeacebuilding, Reconciliation, Transitional Justice, Truth CommissionsMainstreaming Popular Participation in Transitional JusticeBased on their research in The Gambia and Somalia and with multilateral actors in Africa, our panellists share insights and recommendations for enabling meaningful participation by victims and survivors, communities affected by violence, and the broader population in formal and non-formal transitional justice measures. Panellists: Jasmina Brankovic, Senior Research Specialist, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation Lena Houma,… Read More CSVRMarch 12, 2025
MediaOur News and EventsReconciliationPress Release: CSVR Marks 35 Years of Impactful Work and Launches Impact Study Report[Johannesburg, May 2024] – The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) celebrates a remarkable milestone this year as it commemorates 35 years of commitment to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation. Established in 1989 and officially registered as a Section 21 company in 1990, CSVR has emerged as a leading independent, non-profit organisation in the social justice sector… Read More CSVRMay 27, 2024
ArticlesAfrican Union, Capacity Building, ReconciliationJudicial Independence and Transitional Justice in Cameroon: A Pathway to Sustainable Peace in the ongoing Anglophone CrisisSince 2017 Cameroon has been faced with a separatist insurrection widely referred to as—the Anglophone crisis. It has had devastating effects on the country, and over its bloody course, has been considered the most neglected conflict in the world, with thousands of lives lost and about a million others displaced. Transitional justice tools can provide a pathway for addressing the underlying… Read More Bobuin Jr Valery Gemandze ObenMay 19, 2023
MediaVideosPeacebuilding, Reconciliation, Transitional Justice, Truth CommissionsConflict-Related Sexual Violence and TransitionsAround the globe, women and children are especially vulnerable to sexual violence in wartime. In peacetime, they are disadvantaged by social norms, discrimination, and gender-based violence, which are only exacerbated in wartime. With examples from around the continent, this video shows how sexual violence has historically been a central part of conflict and repression in Africa. It advocates for survivors… Read More CSVRMay 17, 2023