Monrovia – The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 ended a two-day workshop on community-based and truth telling, atonement and psychosocial recovery project (National Palava Hut program).
Report by Augustine T. Tweh – [email protected]
The workshop took place at the Palm Spring Hotel in Congo Town, Montserrado County.
Speaking at the workshop, Wilfred N. Gray-Johnson Oversight Commissioner of the Department of Planning, Internal Monitoring and Evaluation at the INCHR said the workshop was intended to bring perpetrators and victims together as a means of reconciling their difference, something he said will help promote peace in the country.
“As a traditional mechanism for peace which Liberia was very accustomed to, the palava Hut process was decided as a means to bring perpetrators and victims face to face, as a means for truth telling, because once you tell the truth it leads to some form of healing and catalysis, especially for people who have been traumatized due to the war” he said.
Wilfred Gray-Johnson added that the workshop was also aimed at providing psychosocial recovery training for both perpetrators and victims to reconcile and live together in harmony, adding that the dark days are over and there is a need for Liberians to settle their difference for the forward march of the country.
“The more we do this, the more we explain to the public and the more we engage the media and all other actors to understand what is happening, then we know that we are on the right course. Again everything will not be perfect, but we are getting there and I think we have lot of lessons to learn” he noted.
The Commissioner said there are lot of people who are still aggrieved and are looking for opportunity to express themselves, asserting that the forum to express their hurt need to be created to afford them the opportunity to express their grievances.
Commissioner Johnson noted that most perpetrators are living in fear, due to crimes committed against others during the war, causing them to suffer psychological pain, urging Liberians to forgive one another as a forward.
“People who committed atrocities do not sleep fine, because they feel that those who they offended are after them, so this initiative will provide counseling for them to reconcile and live together as brothers and sisters” he averred.
Also speaking, Ruth J. Milton, one of the participants said the workshop is meaningful and will help mitigate conflict and reconcile Liberians, asserting that peace should be the outmost priority of every Liberians.
“I think those that did bad during the war if people come up and explain what they did, if it true you tell the person sorry so we can move forward with peace” she said.
The Former Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County said the idea of taking perpetrators to court is not the best way forward in promoting peace, but rather promoting disunity.
“I don’t see it like court, but I am looking at it like peace. Going to court is like creating more hatred and enemy ship, so the palava hut is the best way to reconcile, because even if you call police on me I will still keep that grudge, so we will not be in peace if you talking about court” she noted.
For his part, Mohammed V. Sesay, INCHR Representative in Lofa County said the initiative is meaningful in the peace building and reconciliation process of Liberia, noting that it will help sustain and promote peace in the country.
“Irrespective of the participation of the international community in bring peace to us, yes we do acknowledge that, but however we play a meaningful role in bring peace to ourselves. And to sustain that, this project is really for the sustainability of that peace,” he asserted.