ABSTRACT
This chapter starts with some basic definitions and categories for the study of victim reparations, followed by a brief historical account of victim reparations in the international human rights arena. It discusses some substantive issues that arise in the implementation of victim reparation programmes. The chapter introduces one issue that remains unresolved in the academic debate on victim reparations: the relation between transitional and distributive justice. It shows that in spite of their 'materiality', reparations cannot be considered mere administrative measures towards victims; they involve highly contested matters that bring together social processes and the interpretation of the past. The apparent international consensus over the right to remedy and reparation for victims of human rights violations needs to be contrasted with contestation around the design and implementation of specific reparation programmes. The issue of reparations in transitional justice emerges as a way of addressing the needs of victims of human rights violations during authoritarian regimes or armed conflict.
