Gender and Transitional Justice in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Sierra Leone
Categories: Statebuilding
Sub-Categories: Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Transitional Justice
Country: Ghana, Sierra Leone
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
Year: 2009
Citation: Gyimah, Abigail. Gender and Transitional Justice in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Sierra Leone. Nairobi: African Leadership Centre, 2009.
Sub-Categories: Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Transitional Justice
Country: Ghana, Sierra Leone
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
Year: 2009
Citation: Gyimah, Abigail. Gender and Transitional Justice in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Sierra Leone. Nairobi: African Leadership Centre, 2009.
Abstract
This report presents an overview and background of the transitional justice and truth commission processes in Ghana and Sierra Leone. It describes women’s experiences of abuse and violence, setting these within the broader socio-political context of inequality, discrimination and marginalization during the periods of conflict and authoritarian rule. It further describes the reconciliation and truth commission processes in the two countries. It also examines the work of Ghana’s national reconciliation commissions (NRC) and Sierra Leone’s TRC anad how they sought to address themselves to the particular justice claims and needs of women. The report argues that in order to achieve the aim of peace building, particularly delivering justice for women, justice should be secured through distributive justice.