19 April 2023
Young people have a crucial role to play in breaking intergenerational cycles of conflict and impunity. They are not only potential victims of violence, but can be powerful agents of change in their communities.
This is why meaningful youth inclusion and participation is so important for transitional justice processes, and efforts to build sustainable peace in societies recovering from violent conflict. The challenge is to engage young people in a meaningful way, and to connect them with local and national decision makers.
“If everyone says we are the future of the country, then why do we stand aside from the transitional justice processes?” —Youth participant in a focus group in Mali
Since 2021, Impunity Watch and The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) have been collaborating to promote youth participation and influence on national policy processes in Africa. CSVR is a non-governmental organisation which envisions societies that are peaceful, equal and free from violence.
CSVR is spearheading efforts to advance the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP). Alongside pan-African collaborative alliances, it has established a platform for permanent civil society engagement with the African Union (AU).
In turn, Impunity Watch has contributed to influencing national policies on transitional justice and supporting AU-led regional policymaking inspired by the AUTJP. Moreover, we work closely at the global level with EU and UN policymakers.
Together, our partnership aims to localise the AUTJP and bridge the gap between communities (particularly youth and young women) affected by violence and policymakers at the AU, to ensure their perspectives and needs are taken onboard.
Why is youth participation important for the AUTJP?
Adopted in February 2019, the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) was a momentous step on the part of the African Union (AU) in delivering on its mandate to end violent conflicts on the continent and ensure sustainable peace.
However, significant challenges remain to implementing the AUTJP:
- Few national-level efforts have yet been taken to implement the AUTJP. Even fewer efforts have been undertaken to raise popular awareness of the existence of the AUTJP.
- Civil society across the African continent, especially grassroots victim organisations, are highly under-represented in national and regional discussions on transitional justice. They also often find the AU difficult to access and influence.
We have learned that while youth are extremely appreciative of opportunities to participate in national and regional level platforms, transitional justice expertise among youth and women at the grassroots remained very limited.
While engaging the grassroots often requires significant investment due to language and cultural barriers, the impact is often considerable. Applying a victim-centred approach to policy making positively shapes long-term justice and peacebuilding efforts.
Working with CSVR to advance youth inclusion
A collaborative policy brief between Impunity Watch and CSVR recommended different strategies to ensure greater youth representation in decision-making structures, but more needs to be done.
With CSVR, we seek to focus on three key themes:
- Youth engagement in transitional justice
- Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
- Violent masculinities
In the coming months, we plan to work on training, advocacy, and research related to these core themes.
Impunity Watch will focus on Burundi and the DRC: promoting youth participation in community-based transitional justice, and creating space for youth to engage politicians in policy dialogues.
We aim to prioritise Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for dealing with individual and collective traumas, as well as for ensuring the non-recurrence of violence. We will also scale up our work promoting positive masculinities through trainings, advocacy, and research.
More active youth participation in advocacy strategies will ensure that policymakers are well equipped with concrete policy advice related to the transitional justice needs of African youth.
Together, we seek to ensure victims of gross human rights abuses can participate in justice and accountability.
For more information about CSVR, please visit our partnerships page.