How does testifying in truth and reconciliation commissions affect psychological health? Is the experience healing or retraumatising? This Security Dialogue study presents evidence from interviews with women who have testified in Rwanda’s local gacaca courts. The gacaca are a traditional conflict-management mechanism used in the post-genocide reconciliation process. The study finds that traumatisation, ill-health, insecurity and isolation dominate the lives of the testifying women. They are threatened before, during and after giving testimony in the gacaca.
Every Rwandan village or neighbourhood has a gacaca court. They are a traditionally-based equivalent to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The underlying assumption is that truth-telling is healing and will advance reconciliation. However, there is little empirical knowledge regarding truth commissions and their effects on victims. Psychological research indicates that there may be risks for retraumatisation. This study presents a novel understanding of the complexity of reconciliation and raises questions about the design of truth commissions.
It shouldn’t be assumed that testifying will be healing for an individual without supporting empirical evidence:
- Reports from South Africa suggest a risk of retraumatisation for individuals giving testimony to the TRC.
- There are risks surrounding short and intensive trauma exposure, particularly in public settings. There isn’t enough time for desensitisation or relearning.
- Because of the stigma attached to sexual violence, truth-telling processes may involve more risks for women than for men. Little is known in particular about women’s experiences of truth-telling processes.
- The gacaca do not provide a safe and controlled therapeutic environment. Judges are not trained to provide psychological support and genocide survivors testify surrounded by former enemies, increasing their vulnerability.
Most of the sixteen women interviewed were widowed and raped during the genocide, lost some or all of their children and suffer chronic health problems as a result. Two main themes emerged from the interviews regarding how testifying in the gacaca affected their lives: security problems and psychological ill-health:
- All but one of the women felt that the discriminatory attitudes of the perpetrators of the genocide had not changed.
- For all interviewees, giving testimony involved intense psychological suffering – none considered it a healing experience.
- For all of the women, insecurity began with the gacaca and involved threats, physical and psychological attacks and damage to their homes and crops. The local authorities failed to provide protection.
- Physical security is essential for psychological health. Failing to provide security in truth-telling processes will counteract attempts to uncover the truth and build peace.
Further research into the design of reconciliation procedures in order to minimise risks is necessary. The study findings indicate that culturally appropriate support for survivors is needed before, during and after proceedings.
