Description
Reparation programs implemented in the context of transitional justice processes intend to meet survivors’ material needs in the wake of mass violence while at the same time aiming to provide recognition for the harm done. What happens, however, when the implementation of reparation policies intersects with processes of structural violence perpetrated by the state against its citizens; processes that have historical roots and are still ongoing? This presentation draws on examples from the cases of post-war Peru and Guatemala to analyse how survivors’ demands for reparations in the wake of armed conflict at the same time represent demands for structural socio-economic and political change in the form of inclusion and citizenship. It argues that, when these demands are not taken seriously, reparation policies might be perceived by survivors as a humiliating attempt to buy off their dignity. At the same time, the very process of applying for reparations might be harmful and lead to re-victimisation as survivors are confronted with institutions and bureaucracies representing the same state that perpetrated the violence or failed to provide protection against it.
