The Transitional Justice program of KRCT focuses on addressing the legacies of conflict and promoting accountability, healing, and reconciliation for survivors of torture and wartime sexual violence. This program is rooted in survivor-centered approaches and aims to build a society that acknowledges past atrocities, ensures justice, and supports sustainable peace.
OBJECTIVES
Accountability and Justice: Advocating for legal processes to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure survivors’ access to justice.
Reparations for Survivors: Supporting policies and mechanisms that provide survivors with financial compensation, healthcare, and other forms of redress.
Truth and Reconciliation: Facilitating initiatives that uncover the truth about past abuses and foster dialogue for reconciliation.
Preserving Memory: Ensuring that the stories of survivors are documented and remembered to prevent denial and repetition of atrocities.
CORE ACTIVITIES
Legal Advocacy and Support
Case Support: Assisting survivors in accessing legal aid and navigating justice systems to pursue accountability for wartime crimes.
Advocating for Legal Reforms: Lobbying for survivor-friendly legal frameworks, including protections for witnesses and recognition of sexual violence as a war crime.
Collaboration with Judicial Bodies: Partnering with local and international courts to strengthen investigations and prosecutions of war-related crimes.
REPARATIONS AND SURVIVOR SUPPORT
Policy Development: Advocating for comprehensive reparations policies, including financial compensation, healthcare access, and psychosocial support for survivors.
Implementation Support: Working with governments and institutions to ensure reparations programs are effectively implemented and accessible to survivors.
Empowering Survivors: Engaging survivors in the design and monitoring of reparations programs to ensure they meet their needs.
TRUTH-SEEKING AND DOCUMENTATION
Historical Documentation: Collecting testimonies and evidence of human rights violations, particularly cases of torture and sexual violence, to contribute to truth-seeking processes.
Oral History Projects: Recording survivors’ stories to preserve their experiences and promote societal acknowledgment of past atrocities.
Public Reports and Publications: Sharing findings through reports and advocacy materials to raise awareness and influence policy.
RECONCILIATION AND COMMUNITY HEALING
Dialogue Initiatives: Organizing community discussions and forums to promote understanding, address stigma, and build bridges between divided groups.
Educational Programs: Raising awareness about the importance of transitional justice and the rights of survivors, particularly among youth and community leaders.
Cultural and Artistic Projects: Supporting creative expressions, such as exhibitions and performances, to foster empathy and remembrance.
INTERNATIONAL ADVOCACY AND COLLABORATION
Engaging Global Platforms: Representing survivors’ voices in international transitional justice forums and advocating for global recognition of their rights.
Learning from Global Practices: Adapting successful transitional justice models from other contexts to Kosovo’s unique challenges.
IMPACT
The Transitional Justice program has contributed to:
Legal Milestones: Supporting the first successful case of justice for a wartime sexual violence survivor in Kosovo.
Reparations Progress: Influencing the creation and implementation of reparations policies that address survivors’ needs.
Truth and Acknowledgment: Ensuring that survivors’ stories are preserved and acknowledged, fostering societal recognition of wartime atrocities.
Community Reconciliation: Promoting dialogue and reducing stigma through community-based initiatives.
By addressing the complex legacies of war, KRCT’s Transitional Justice program empowers survivors, fosters accountability, and supports the collective healing necessary for a peaceful and just society.