ICTJ/ This publication provides an overview of the essential best practices guiding the main aspects of a truth commission, answering basic questions relating to its goals, powers, operations, framework, protections for commissioners and witnesses, and reporting. Its intention is to provide practical guidelines for practitioners, commission staff, and political leaders on a wide spectrum of experiences that can be adapted to suit the unique social, political, and legal context of the state.
A generic inquiry that does not account for the varying experiences of specific sectors of the population cannot fully understand the abuses and violations that occurred, appropriately recognize victims, or make eff ective policy recommendations to prevent their recurrence. Truth commissions, as they have evolved, have gained more sensitivity toward the individual and varying experiences of human rights violations. In particular, truth commissions have made signifi cant progress in integrating a gender perspective, ensuring more sensitivity toward the needs of children, and being responsive to the rights of indigenous peoples. An inclusive approach to these often marginalized and vulnerable populations is an important factor in developing a richer understanding of the abuses under inquiry, gaining wider support for the commission, and creating better conditions for the implementation of the commission’s recommendations.
Ensuring a Gender Perspective in Truth Commissions
Ensuring Compliance with the Rights of Children in Truth Commissions
Ensuring Compliance with the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Truth Commissions
http://ictj.org/sites/default/files/TruthSeeking_Report_English-TEMP.pdf
