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Faculty of Management Sciences

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Restorative justice

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    Restoring social cohesion after widespread rape of women in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s local community through conflict transformation : a case study
    (2023) Mauwa, Josephine Kimanu; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    Armed conflicts have caused extreme human suffering in which rape against women has been a major and gruesome factor. This is true in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although the issue of sexual violence is documented throughout the country, the South Kivu region remains the most affected. The systematic and widespread sexual violence has wreaked havoc and destroyed social cohesion at the individual, relational and community levels in South Kivu. The damage to social cohesion has been seen in threats to the community dimensions of rape survivors, children born from rape, and perpetrators, all of whom are the main components of the inquiry. This damage has led the community to shape and produce as social outcasts a marginalised group of women, unwanted children born from rape, and outlawed perpetrators. Community cohesiveness has also been threatened and complicated by the frivolous culture based on sexual socialization before rape incidents. Hence, the need to address social cohesion after widespread rape in South Kivu is enormous. The aim of this research was to explore the ways in which social cohesion could be restored by means of conflict transformation in local communities in South-Kivu after widespread rape against women that occurred between 1996 and 2016. Although various responses have focused on women as victims of rape and have ignored both children born of rape and the perpetrators, they are also affected. This weakens the rape survivors’ social reintegration. Therefore, the children and the perpetrators need to be included in the process of recreating social cohesion. Conflict transformation was used to contribute to restoring social cohesion, with positive results for rape survivors. Interventions were done in three main ways: training, family dialogue mixed with community awareness involving community leaders and custom law-keepers, and the creation of literacy centres. The use of participatory action research methodology led to increased knowledge from training, an improvement in relationships, and the boosting of rape survivors’ leadership capabilities and skills. The overall results of the inquiry reveal that mechanisms of social reintegration for rape survivors lies in their acceptance, through which rape survivors’ post-traumatic growth and quality of relationships in the community are enhanced. Thus, community cohesiveness and the rape survivors’ restoration of intra- and inter-personal relationships remains a shared responsibility, with each main group affected resorting to specific mechanisms for healing, be they self-initiated or supported.
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    Intervention strategies to reduce school violence in Bhekulwandle rural community
    (2022) Mlambo, Primrose Sibusisiwe; Harries, Geoffrey; Kaye, Sylvia
    Given the extent of violence in South Africa, it is not surprising that its schools are also venues where various forms of violence are common. Since 1994, in the pursuit of ending violence in schools, attention has been given to ending corporal punishment and reducing other forms of violence; most of these efforts have emphasized retributive discipline methods. This research adopted a restorative approach to violence in one high school, with a focus on grade nine learners in 2019 who could be entering grade 10 in 2020. An action research approach and a mixed methods research design were employed. Quantitative data from learners was collected via questionnaires, and this was supplemented by focus group discussions and interviews with learners, teacher, and other stakeholders. The main finding was that restorative interventions, such as peacemaking circles, together with transformative learning - covering both the curriculum and pedagogy- contributed to building a culture of peace in this high school.
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    Sustaining local peace infrastructures in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
    (2021-04) Mwanza, Jean-Pierre Mfuni; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    For more than two decades the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has known acute violence which has killed millions of people.
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    Building capacity for reconciliation through a restorative-based intervention in Zimbabwe
    (2017-05) Mhandara, Lawrence; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    Policy makers and scholarship on peacebuilding are increasingly attracted to the notion of reconciliation. In recent years, this interest has expanded. This is especially visible in the aftermath of the South African experience following the activities of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In fact, peacebuilding efforts after violent experiences are usually accompanied by powerful calls to go the reconciliation route. Reconciliation as a process can be seen as involving transformation in attitudes and perspectives toward others. As an outcome, it can be regarded as mutual acceptance of the other in a peaceful relationship and the sustainability of that acceptance; accompanied by a commitment to bind relationships on future interest than being stuck with the past. Yet reconciliation remains a profound challenge in societies that experience political violence. Equally, Zimbabwe is facing a similar situation despite a series of state-centred efforts at reconciliation. From the 1980 policy of national reconciliation to the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), a constant pattern of inefficacy is observed. This study was born out of the need to find out why reconciliation in Zimbabwe has become elusive which has negatively affected people’s relationships. The aim of the study was to devise a restorative- based intervention to build capacity for reconciliation among a small sample of adults in Harare. The primary question was: How can people affected by political violence but continuing to live together participate in building their own capacity to promote reconciliation in the absence of effective state interventions? I conceptualised reconciliation based on the theory of restoration as an approach that can transform relationships toward peaceful interaction. This yielded a theoretical framework that combined elements of reconciliation, restorative justice and conflict transformation theories, which was the basis for designing and analysing findings. A qualitative methodology combining interviews and focus group discussions was utilised. Within this paradigm, action research was the main design, in which one cycle was utilized by the action group to implement an intervention. Action group participants’ responses offer evidence of how building capacity for reconciliation needs to be conceptualised through interventions that are participatory, collaborative and centred on the locals. The study further reveals that restorative-focused dialogical conversations followed by symbolic gestures of reconciliation are useful in restoring broken relationships. This was found to be a viable alternative to promoting reconciliation in the absence of effective state responses. This study is significant in that it integrates academic and practical knowledge while contributing to peacebuilding practice.
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    Challenges of reintegrating self-demobilised child soldiers in North Kivu Province: prospects for accountability and reconciliation via Restorative Justice Peacemaking circles
    (Springer Verlag, 2015-04-09) Kiyala, Kimbuku Jean Chrysostome
    Social reintegration of self-demobilised child combatants can be seriously imperilled by the lack of accountability for human rights violations allegedly carried out during their soldiering life and the failure to pursue reconciliation with their respective communities. This paper examines the circumstances leading young soldiers to voluntarily exit armed groups and militias and the extent to which resettling in the community can be facilitated by restorative justice mechanisms. The findings suggest a large support by war-affected communities for restorative justice peacemaking circles as potential accountability and reconciliation measures to help reintegrate self-demobilised soldiers into society. These results were obtained from interviews, focus group discussions and descriptive statistics in which 1447 respondents participated. These included young ex-soldiers, students, educators, government official, members on NGOs, traditional leaders and councils, Security Services, and the Police. The inquiry was conducted between 3 May and 17 December 2014 in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).