"I wanted them to be punished or at least ask us for forgiveness”: justice interests of female victim-survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and their experiences with gacaca

Rafferty, Judith (2018) "I wanted them to be punished or at least ask us for forgiveness”: justice interests of female victim-survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and their experiences with gacaca. Genocide Studies and Prevention, 12 (3). pp. 95-118.

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Abstract

Survivors of human rights abuses need to experience a sense of justice to support their individual recovery. Women who have experienced conflict-related sexual violence have specific justice interests that are distinct from those of survivors of other abuses. This article focuses on justice interests of Rwandan women who experienced sexual violence during the genocide in Rwanda and who had their cases tried in gacaca community courts between 2008 and 2012. The article discusses two justice interests that emerged during interviews with 23 Rwandan women about their gacaca experience. These interests include the punishment of perpetrators and perpetrators taking responsibility for their actions and the harm caused. Punishment was important to most women for several reasons, including retribution, safety, validation and vindication. Perpetrators taking responsibility by confessing, apologizing or asking for forgiveness was also important to many women and appeared to be an alternative way of experiencing validation and vindication.

Item ID: 56794
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1911-9933
Keywords: sexual violence, justice, justice needs, Rwanda, gacaca, genocide, punishment, forgiveness, apology
Copyright Information: Copyright © 2018 Genocide Studies and Prevention. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License.
Date Deposited: 07 Jan 2019 04:32
FoR Codes: 48 LAW AND LEGAL STUDIES > 4805 Legal systems > 480501 Access to justice @ 33%
48 LAW AND LEGAL STUDIES > 4899 Other law and legal studies > 489999 Other law and legal studies not elsewhere classified @ 33%
44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4405 Gender studies > 440599 Gender studies not elsewhere classified @ 34%
SEO Codes: 94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9404 Justice and the Law > 940499 Justice and the Law not elsewhere classified @ 70%
94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9401 Community Service (excl. Work) > 940113 Gender and Sexualities @ 30%
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