Rumiko Seya, Secretary General of the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention

Must reconciliation be built on the victims' suffering?

In my last column, we looked at the issue of how former combatants might be persuaded to give up their arms and what sort of support should be provided to help them restart their lives as ordinary citizens. I explained, too, how some of these combatants were even forced to become soldiers and wound up in the role of assailants. In this column, I would like to consider this issue from the opposite angle, the point of view of their victims.

Rumiko Seya

Born in Gunma Prefecture in 1977. Graduated from Chuo University and received an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford in the UK. Specialist in post-conflict peacebuilding and reintegration of ex-combatants into society. In the past she held various positions in conflict areas, such as NGO staff (Rwanda), UN volunteer (Sierra Leone), Special Assistant to the Ambassador (Japanese Embassy, Afghanistan), and UN Peacekeeping Operations staff (Côte d'Ivoire). She became Secretary General of the JCCP in April 2007.

JCCP's website http://www.jccp.gr.jp/

First of all, who are the victims of conflict? Those who lost their lives, certainly, as well as their families and friends. Other victims suffered severe injuries, the destruction of their homes, were forced to flee because of danger, lost their worldly possessions, or were kidnapped.

In every conflict, too, there are people who have been psychologically wounded by witnessing violent acts, those who lost their businesses or their jobs, and children who could no longer study due to the destruction of their schools. These people could be considered victims as well. In effect, if the idea of a victim is broadly defined, it might be said that almost everyone in a society where conflict has raged are victims in some way.

What happens, then, when former combatants, who have done harm to these victims, return to the villages and towns where the victims live?

As we learned last time, people who have committed acts of violence, even murder, are often pardoned and provided vocational training to find work on the condition that they give up their weapons and pledge to live peacefully. In Rwanda, where neighbors murdered one another, this may mean that the person who killed your family returns to your neighborhood to resume an ordinary life. Moreover, it's possible that such a person is receiving a variety of personal and professional support, right before your eyes, while you have difficulty finding work due to a lack of training or education.

A cemetery for massacre victims in the suburbs of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. (Photo by Rumiko Seya, 2000)

Despite these circumstances, the government and the international community stress that "The conflict is over; what's important now is peace." If you were a victim in this situation, how would you feel?

It's true that some victims can't stop themselves from seeking revenge. For most, though, all they can do is accept their plight and go on living, in spite of their deep sorrow and dissatisfaction at the unfairness of the situation. In a society which offers only this harsh choice for victims of conflict, the fragile peace can gradually break down and conflict flares again.

The idea of "reconciliation" is frequently mentioned as a necessary element for achieving peace in a post-conflict area. However, in reality, reconciliation must be built upon the pain and endurance of the victims. This makes it very difficult, naturally, to realize peace after a conflict. In such situations, how can the suffering of the victims be eased?

For today's question, please ponder what is needed to reach reconciliation, turning your thoughts toward the feelings of the victims and imagining a situation set in your own life.