Transitional Justice

Transitional justice refers to the short-term, often temporary judicial and non-judicial mechanisms that address the legacy of human rights abuses and violence during a society’s transition from conflict or authoritarian rule. Structures such as international tribunals, truth commissions or local processes seek to expose the perpetrators of crimes and abuse, provide a forum for acknowledgement and accountability, establish an historical record and collective memory and promote societal reconciliation.

These processes are vital components of post-conflict reconstruction and a prerequisite to unification and peace. Given the widespread victimization of women during armed conflict, transitional justice is of particular concern to them. In addition to their own need for justice, many women are key actors in conducting healing and reconciliation processes, noting their concern for their children’s future as a strong motivating factor.

On an international level, over 300 organizations supported the work of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice during the design of the International Criminal Court and its statutes. The presence of and advocacy by these organizations have led to several advances in international law; chief among them is the explicit recognition of rape as a war crime.

From the Library

Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector and Gender

This tool seeks to highlight the importance of parliamentary oversight of the security sector and the benefits parliamentarians derive from integrating a gender perspective into their work.
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Police Reform and Gender

This tool is intended for use by various actors working on police reform. It is designed as a reference tool, with a mix of background information and practical examples and tips to assist in the design and/or implementation of the reform process.
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Penal Reform and Gender

This tool on penal reform and gender provides guidance on responding to gender issues within penal systems. It aims to assist those responsible for management, policy making or reform of prisons within their own countries; international and regional actors supporting prison reform; as well as parliamentarians, civil society organisations and others that play a role in overseeing and monitoring prisons.
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Civil Society Oversight of the Security Sector and Gender

This tool is designed to be a resource for civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in oversight of the security sector, as well as those CSOs that seek to play a more active role in this regard.
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National Security Policy-Making and Gender

This tool provides an introduction to the benefits and opportunities of integrating gender issues into national-level security policy making. As strategic documents, security policies are critically important in establishing a coordinated response to security threats, and can serve as a platform for security sector reform (SSR) processes.
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Justice Reform and Gender

This tool focuses on the institutional reform of the judiciary, law reform and access to justice, with specific emphasis on gender equality.
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Defence Reform and Gender

This tool aims to introduce political and implementation actors to the need for a gender perspective in the conduct of defence reform activities.
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