GIJTR’S IMPACT IN DEPTH: PROGRAMS, PROCESSES AND PROGRESS
Victims and Conflict-Affected Communities To emphasize GIJTR’s intersectional, multilayered approach, the following sections offer a closer look at exactly how GIJTR’s work impacts its three primary target groups, detailing methodologies, project activities, insights from local partners and common challenges found in conflict and post-conflict settings. GIJTR’s commitment to working “from the ground up” in conflict and post-conflict settings means that victims and affected communities are prioritized in all GIJTR programming. A principal element of every GIJTR project is an initial assessment of the needs of individuals in each context, and while those needs vary according to setting, clear and common indicators of impact exist across GIJTR’s many programs and initiatives.
Replacing Silence with Hope through Psychosocial Support
Conflict silences communities, and that silence often lasts decades after a conflict ends. In some settings, perpetrators are still in power, leaving victims unable to voice their experiences of trauma and move to a place of healing. In others, communities who have witnessed extended periods of authoritarianism or violence can become desensitized to it, eager to “move on and turn the page.” In still others, old tensions and biases continue to fester following conflict’s end, leaving certain marginalized groups, particularly women and LGBTQIA+ communities, feeling as stigmatized as ever, as well as hopeless that anything will change. GIJTR effectively tackles this silence by making MHPSS an essential part of all its actions. As a staff member at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), a GIJTR Consortium partner, explains MHPSS “is the lubricant to make everything else go well.” While in the past such support had been available to victims only during high- profile moments, such as when giving public testimony, GIJTR prioritizes from a project’s inception the creation of safe spaces for victims and survivors to share their experiences
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Transforming Transitional Justice: A Decade of Change, Growth & Sustained Impact—A Summary Report
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