BY Kebba AF Touray
As key and central pillars in every society, the just concluded stakeholders conference dilated, considered and discussed ways and means of addressing past violations, stampedes and infringements on the rights of Women, Youths, Children and Persons with disability. Since they have the potential and energy to make sure that transitional justice and truth and reconciliation succeed, the following recommendations were made at the conference to address the past violations on their rights to feel a sense of ownership of the country.
The conference made the following recommendations on Women:
The call for their full representation at all levels; making their voices heard; investigating issues affecting them such as rape; protection of their human rights and their inclusion in the truth and reconciliation committee.
Recommendations on Children include:
Inclusion in the transitional justice, protection of the rights of children; involvement in truth seeking; inclusion in the reports, the truth and reconciliation committee and their protection from hard labor.
Recommendations on Persons with disability include:
the insertion of persons living with disability in the transitional justice system; training of staff to have basic knowledge about disability; research ways of integrating them into society; protection from unlawful arrests and nation-wide sensitization and outreach programs to be made available to the parents of persons with disability.
It also created a platform for the panelists to pin point the role of civil society organizations which include engagement in civic education activities; mapping of conflict which help in locating and identifying victims and perpetrators, and training of police on human rights.
In embarking on truth and reconciliation process, discussions indicated that the roles of traditional leaders, reconciliation, communication and justice, are significant.
