Based on interviews with representatives of survivors’ organizations around the world, GAAMAC’s partner Impunity Watch and INOVAS co-wrote the report Reparations as a catalytic power to change victims’ and survivors’ lives.

The report finds that reparations are crucial for ensuring justice for victims and survivors of grave human rights violations – and yet they often fall off the agenda or do not fully meet the needs of victims.

“Reparation is essential, not only because of its reparative nature but because (of) its acknowledgment and recognition nature” said an interviewee from Syria.

Victims stress the importance of comprehensive reparations, including:

• Combining material, financial and symbolic measures, as well as individual and collective ones. This includes recognizing crimes endured by victims to ensure their dignity is upheld, and delivering psychosocial support to help reduce trauma following crimes suffered.
• Responding to different needs of victims with diverse experiences, such as women and minority groups, and striving to address the socio-economic and cultural inequalities that lead to their marginalization.
• Connecting reparations to other transitional justice mechanisms, including truth and justice, and guarantees of non-repetition (prevention).

The role of the international community

The international community can play an important role by strengthening network building and victims’ mobilization, promoting the role of women and minority groups in these groups, and publicly supporting victims’ demands.

“We recommend the United Nations mainly to guarantee that States comply to this commitment, this obligation (to provide reparations) (…) Especially because reparation is the fundamental pillar for a stable and lasting peace” said another interviewee from Guatemala.

This requires direct, continuous and long-term engagement and equal partnerships between the international community and victims.

Read the report Reparations as a catalytic power to change victims’ and survivors’ lives

Watch testimonies of grassroot activists on reparations

This article is based on an article from the website of our partner Impunity Watch.