Abstract

This independent study project examined the following research question: Does the robustness of transitional justice programs have an impact on the level and quality of redress for victims of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV)? The subsequent hypothesis crafted for this project reads as follows: The more robust a transitional justice program is in terms of countering rape culture, the higher the level and quality of victim redress will be. The methodology for this project includes a case selection process by which I examined various case studies that experienced severe levels of conflict-related sexual violence between 1989 and 2019, followed by a narrowing-down process that eventually led to my comparative case selection. After selecting the case studies – Sierra Leone and Liberia – I then examined both countries’ truth and reconciliation commissions (TRC) after their respective civil conflicts with a set of data schema, evaluating whether each TRC was robust in terms of its level of rape culture awareness. I then used a similar coding schema for the dependent variable, in which I examined levels of CRSV victim redress and reform in the years after the truth commissions’ completion. Finally, I found that while both countries had significant margins of error in terms of a robust, fleshed out truth commission, Sierra Leone saw slightly higher levels of victim healing and redress post-civil war as compared with Liberia.

Advisor

Leiby, Michele

Department

Political Science

Publication Date

2023

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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