Justice mirage? Sierra Leone’s truth and reconciliation commission and local women’s experiences.

Abstract

Following an 11-year civil war, Sierra Leone implemented transitional justice to address years of repression and massive human rights violations. As an improvement to the South Africa transitional justice model, the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission (SLTRC) incorporated gender in its mandate to address women's peculiar experiences of war. Despite the presence of women at the commission, however, women remain marginalized in postconflict Sierra Leone, and many of the recommendations of the truth commission have not been implemented. This article argues that the lack of success of the commission and transitional justice in advancing the status of women in Sierra Leone is due to the "one-fits-all" model of transitional justice that does not cater to local dynamics. This article, therefore, argues for a phenomenological approach that caters to local women's experiences for meaningful transitional justice. Public Significance StatementThis article contributes to the growing body of work that seeks to examine the minimal success of transitional justice in creating new realities for women in postconflict settings. By taking a phenomenological approach in relation to gender equity, this article foregrounds a critical angle that has been underexplored. By doing so, it enhances the conversation in various circles, exposes blind spots, and creates new possibilities for the advancement of status for women in postconflict settings.

Political Empowerment of Women, Girls and LGBTQ+ People: Post-conflict Opportunities

“…Liberia, Peru, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste) have created gender units; implemented measures to increase women's participation; and appointed women as commissioners and experts (see Haider, 2016). The Sierra Leone TRC (SLTRC) recommended in its report that new legislation require all political parties to ensure at least 30% of their candidates for all national and local elections are women (Unobe, 2022). In 2015, Colombia was the first country to include LGBTQ+ activists in the peace talk process, which included the aim of implementing a truth commission that explicitly includes…”

“…The SLTRC has sought to magnify women's voices and experiences, including recognising the link between pre-conflict gendered structural inequalities and conflict-enabled gender-based violations of women (Unobe, 2022). From the outset, local women's groups participated in SLTRC's trainings and gave written submissions and oral testimonies at the SLTRC.…”

“…From the outset, local women's groups participated in SLTRC's trainings and gave written submissions and oral testimonies at the SLTRC. In addition, three women commissioners were appointed out of seven commissioners (Unobe, 2022). The SLTRC offered complex accounts of how social, legal, political, and cultural forces conspired to render women more vulnerable to a range of degradations and violations in the war (Unobe, 2022).…”

“…In addition, three women commissioners were appointed out of seven commissioners (Unobe, 2022). The SLTRC offered complex accounts of how social, legal, political, and cultural forces conspired to render women more vulnerable to a range of degradations and violations in the war (Unobe, 2022). Testimonies from women and girls centred on the gender-specific nature of violations that they suffered (Unobe, 2022).…”

“…The SLTRC offered complex accounts of how social, legal, political, and cultural forces conspired to render women more vulnerable to a range of degradations and violations in the war (Unobe, 2022). Testimonies from women and girls centred on the gender-specific nature of violations that they suffered (Unobe, 2022). The Commission recommended in its final report that new legislation require all political parties to ensure at least 30% of their candidates for all national and local elections are women, and that Sierra Leone ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women (Unobe, 2022).…”