Widows and Community Based Transitional Justice in Post Genocide Rwanda
| Author | Angela Tobin |
| Pages | 27-39 |
27
WIDOWS AND COMMUNITY BASED TRANSITIONAL
JUSTICE IN POST GENOCIDE RWANDA
Angela Tobin, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Edge Hill University
Abstract After decades of cycles of violence between Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda, 1994
witnessed genocide more effective than Hitler's gas chambers (Carlsson, 2005) costing the
lives of estimates between 500,000 (Desforges, 1999) to one million people (Gourevitch,
1998). The way communities and families killed neighbours and relatives has been
documented by many. In light of the localised nature of this conflict, this contribution
suggests that the community should be involved in the delivery of justice as part of an
effort to repair the social bonds that were damaged. This article will focus on women's
relationship to transitional justice in the aftermath of the conflict. The role of community-
based organisations and the support they provided to widows of the conflict will be
considered. Widows have been selected as the focal point as they represent a distinctive
group: they must contend with gender-specific challenges in the wake of their loss and
adapt to become responsible for tasks which they previously depended on male relatives to
complete. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and Gacaca, the formal judicial
and quasi judicial models developed to aid all concerned with the means to face what had
happened in order to live together peacefully, have be en subject to much criticism; these
will be discussed. The article will draw on empirical research exploring community-based
projects that were supported by a women's charity, established to support widows and
orphans in the aftermath of the genocide. Their efforts will be presented as an efficient
and effective strategy of transitional justice, due to its location in the community.
Keywords Gender, Widows, Transitional Justice, Rwanda, Community, Women's groups.
Introduction
The objective of this contribution is to explore justice in post genocide Rwanda, the role of
community-based organisations and the support they provide to widows of the conflict.
The article will begin by outlining a brief overview of the nature of the 1994 Rwandan
Genocide and the consequences of the conflict for women. Specific attention will be paid
to the experiences and challenges that have widows faced since the genocide ended.
Widows represent a particular group facing gender-specific challenges in the wake of the
death of their husbands. These include having to assume roles and responsibilities which
were previously undertaken by the men in the family. In the Rwandan context, many
widows experienced sexual violence during the conflict and therefore had to deal with its
impact, the consequences of the war and the added pressure of taking charge of new
British Journal of Community Justice
©2012 Sheffield Hallam Uni
versity, Sheffield
ISSN 1475-
0279
Vol. 10(1): 27-39
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