Transitional justice: Topic Guide

Abstract

It is increasingly recognised that legacies of mass violence and human rights violations can, if left unaddressed, fuel future conflicts. Transitional justice seeks to tackle the legacies of large-scale past abuses, and includes mechanisms such as truth-telling initiatives, criminal prosecutions, reparations processes, cultural interventions, vetting and institutional reform. This Topic Guide outlines transitional justice mechanisms and looks at factors crucial to the design of strategies, processes and mechanisms: local context and ownership; participation and inclusive processes; outreach; timing and sequencing; and coordination with other sectors. It also discusses the following themes: the impact of transitional justice socioeconomic rights and development reconciliation art and transitional justice gender and youth diaspora, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)