ROUNDTABLE: Truth Commissions and Sexual Violence

Sexual violence — like mass rape — is used as a weapon of war in almost all (internal) armed conflicts. This roundtable investigates how Latin American and African truth commission have evolved since the early 1980s to deal with conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) in their mandate, throughout their operations and in their recommendations. To what extent has changing international norms and legal frameworks shaped the agenda of truth commissions when it comes to CRSV? How, in turn, have truth commissions contributed to advancing international norms, including the Women, Peace, and Security agenda (set by UN Security Council Resolution 1325) and its focus on the gendered experience of conflict? Drawing on an interdisciplinary research project that is establishing a first-ever database on the connections between truth commissions, CRSV, and international law, we discuss a selection of truth commissions that have been actively addressing CRSV. Cases that will be discussed include Liberia, Tunisia, The Gambia, Nigeria and Guatemala. This session is part of the CMI/LawTransform project “Truth Commissions and Sexual Violence” funded by the RCN.  Participants: Elin Skaar, CMI; Rachel Sieder, CIESAS, Mexico; Sinqobile Makhathini and Lesego Sekhu, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, South Africa; Chianaraekpere Ike, University of Washington, USA. Moderator: Pilar Domingo, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), UK.