Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance
Local Solutions Have Global Impact
Sites of Conscience .
GIJTR 2.0 will have a new focus on implementing rapid response programming when an ongoing conflict demands GIJTR’s immediate support and unique skill set. This approach – which presumes there are urgent actions to be taken before a “transition” has occurred – is relatively novel in the transitional justice field, but is proving effective in countering challenges related specifically to modern conflict, including the widespread use of social media and disinformation. To give just one example, in the months after Russia invaded Ukraine, GIJTR began working with local partners in the country on a robust documentation program that supports civil society actors to document ongoing violations being committed by Russian forces, with a special focus on conflict-related sexual violence. In this setting, civil society documentation complements efforts underway by the Ukrainian state and has proven particularly effective in that it is carried out in communities recovering from violence by those who survivors know and trust. While the documentation collected during the program, which concluded in 2024, will be secured for future accountability processes, it also serves to counter disinformation by foregrounding the importance of truth-telling in communities today.
Families of the missing and disappeared in Guatemala share their experiences with GIJTR partners on a site visit to Comalapa, a former military base in the country that now serves as a memorial to victims of the country’s Internal Armed Conflict.
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