ABSTRACT

This study reveals a gap between the goals of transitional justice both in theory and in practice and the needs of families of the Missing, emblematic of conflict victims in those two states. Victims' greatest concerns are issues that are either invisible to the discourses that drive such process (for example spiritual matters or social issues embedded in the daily lives of victims) or are simply not prioritised, as is seen with issues related to livelihood and human remains. The data suggest that current approaches to the development of mechanisms to address legacies of violence are largely incapable of advancing the agendas of the poor and the marginal, who are most often the victims of contemporary conflict. This failure has implications not only for the success of the transitional justice process but also for the broader transition and for sustainable peace. This study seeks to address this deficit by proposing routes to victim-centred transitional justice to address both the needs of those most impacted by violations and the broader issues that drive conflict. In this chapter, such an approach is conceptualised, advocating a transitional justice steered by what victims seek for recovery from the impact of violations and ultimately to be evaluated according to its success in meeting such needs. This requires a refocusing of such praxis to include the psychosocial, the economic and elements, such as the spiritual, that derive not from universalist discourse but from the everyday lives of victims.