Why Direct Victim Participation Matters

A transitional justice process cannot be understood solely through the laws enacted or institutions established. It must also be understood through the experiences, rights and perspectives of the people whose lives were affected by past violations.

Victims are central to transitional justice because the process exists, in part, to address the harm they suffered and respond to their rights. Their participation helps ensure that decisions and measures adopted in the aftermath of serious violations remain attentive to the people they are intended to serve.

Participation means more than inviting victims to attend meetings. It involves providing accessible information, creating opportunities to express concerns, listening to different perspectives and ensuring that feedback can inform decisions and implementation.

The Government’s Implementation Plan provides for coordination and feedback mechanisms intended to support implementation of the TRRC recommendations. These include Victim Townhall meetings, the Steering Committee, the Civil Society and Media Platform, and the Partnership Platform.

The PTU serves as the Secretariat to these mechanisms, supporting coordination, information-sharing and engagement among the relevant institutions and stakeholders.

Victim Townhall meetings provide opportunities for victims and communities to engage with representatives of the institutions involved in implementation. They can help communicate developments, raise concerns and identify issues requiring further attention.

Civil society and victim-led organisations also play an important role by communicating the perspectives of their members, raising awareness and advocating for the fulfilment of commitments made under the TRRC process.

The Association of Victim-Led Organisations (AVLO) provides a platform through which victim-led organisations can coordinate their engagement and strengthen collective representation.

Its role is particularly relevant in a process involving many victims, organisations and institutions. Collective representation can help bring shared concerns to the attention of decision-makers while enabling organisations to coordinate their own advocacy and communication.

The relationship between AVLO and the PTU reflects complementary roles. The PTU supports coordination through the Government’s established implementation mechanisms, while AVLO facilitates coordination and representation among its member organisations. Neither role replaces the responsibilities of the institutions mandated to implement particular recommendations.

Meaningful participation requires more than the existence of a meeting or consultation. People need to understand the issues being discussed, have a genuine opportunity to contribute and receive clear information about what follows.

It also requires sensitivity to the different circumstances of victims. Barriers may arise from disability, geography, language, financial constraints, trauma, stigma or fear of exposure. Appropriate measures are needed to ensure that engagement is accessible, safe and respectful.

Participation does not mean that every request can automatically be accepted. Institutions must operate within their legal mandates and available resources. But they should be able to explain their decisions, communicate constraints and show how concerns raised through engagement are considered.

Victim participation can help identify gaps between institutional commitments and people’s experiences. It can also strengthen public understanding, build trust and improve the responsiveness of implementation.

Ultimately, the quality of participation should not be measured by attendance figures alone. It should be assessed by whether people are informed, heard and able to engage meaningfully with the process.

Victims must not be treated simply as the subjects of a past investigation or the recipients of future measures. Their rights, experiences and perspectives remain central to the work of transitional justice.