Recognizing what happened, acknowledging the harm & taking meaningful steps
Reparations recognise the harm suffered by victims of human rights violations and seek to provide meaningful responses to that harm. They are not simply financial payments. They can include measures that restore dignity, support recovery, acknowledge wrongdoing, help repair the consequences of violations and address the conditions that allowed abuses to occur.
In The Gambia, reparations form a central part of the response to the violations documented by the TRRC. The legal framework provides for monetary compensation and non-monetary measures, including rehabilitation and other forms of redress. It also recognises the relationship between reparations, memorialisation, institutional reform and guarantees of non-recurrence.
This section explains the legal framework governing reparations, the institutions responsible for administering them, and the different ways in which reparations may respond to individual and collective harm. It also explores the experiences and perspectives of victims, the implementation challenges that remain, and the importance of ensuring that reparations are accessible, equitable and responsive to victims' needs.
When a person suffers a serious human rights violation, the consequences may continue long after the violation itself. Reparations seek to acknowledge that harm and provide meaningful responses to its effects.
Explain the Victims Reparations Act, the Reparations Fund, the Commission's mandate and the respective responsibilities of the relevant institutions.
Explore the significance of medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance and other measures that respond to the continuing effects of violations.
Examine consultation, accessibility, gender-sensitive approaches, different forms of harm and the importance of meaningful participation in implementation.
