Ensuring Women and child's rights in the TRC process

March 8, 2005
Dear Colleagues,

Most of us have been or will be involved, at different levels, in the sensitization with regarding to the TRC process. As we are all aware, the Act to establish the TRC of Liberia have just been signed.

I would like to seize this opportunnity to draw your attention on the necessity for all of us, in our respective assignments, to comply with International standards of Human Rights as well as with SCR 1325 on Gender measntreaming, women's rights and child protection in the post-conflict reconstruction process. The TRC of Liberia aiming to “provide a forum that will address issues of impunity, as well as an opportunity for both victims and perpetrators of human rights violations to share their experiences in order to get a clear picture of the past to facilitate genuine healing and reconciliation" (Article XIII of the CPA) among its key-objectives, have sufficiant provisions on child protection, women's rights and gender meansmtreaming, women and child being the main victims of the war that occurs in the country for the last 14 years. Yet, they continue to suffering from all forms of exploitation, abuses and other massive human rights violations. It is therefore important that those provisions be regularly monitored in every step of sensitization concerning the TRC process.

In this regard, the implementation of the following articles of the TRC act should be regularly verified by evryone :


Article 4 : Section 24. "The TRC shall consider and be sensitive to issues of human rights violations, gender and gender based violence thus ensuring that no one with a known record of human rights violations are employed by the TRC and that gender mainstreaming characterizes its works, operations and functions, ensuring therefore that women are fully represented and staffed at all levels of the work of the TRC and that special mechanisms are employed to handle women and children victims and perpetrators, not only to protect their dignity and safety but also to avoid re-traumatisation".

Article 7. f " to help restore the human dignity of victims and promote reconciliation by providing an opportunity for victims, witnesses, and others to give an account of the violations and abuses suffered and for perpetrators to relate their experiences, in an environment conducive to constructive interchange between victims and perpetrators, giving special attention to the issues of sexual and gender based violence, and most especially to the experiences of children and women during armed conflicts in Liberia"

n. The TRC shall take into account the security and other interests of victims and witnesses when appearing for hearing, design witness protection mechanisms on a case by case basis as well as special programs for children and women both as perpetrators and victims under burdens of trauma, stigmatization, neglect, shame, ostracization, threats, etc. and others in difficult circumstances who may wish to recount their stories either in privacy or public, subject to the discretion of the TRC.

0. The TRC shall employ specialists in children and women’s rights and shall ensure that special measures or mechanisms are employed that will enable women and children to provide testimony to the TRC, while at the same time protecting their safety and not endangering or delaying their social reintegration or psychological recovery.