Repairing the Irreparable: Dealing with the double-binds of making reparations for crimes of the past

Abstract

This paper explores the competing and often diverging psychological needs of the individual and the society with regards to making reparations for gross violations of human rights. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission's mandate and policy recommendations with regards to reparations for survivors and families of victims of human rights abuses are outlined. Thereafter, some of the psychological benefits and double-binds of making reparations are explored. Suggestions are then made with regard to how the process of making reparations for essentially irreparable loss can be eased. It is only the ongoing combination of truth, justice and survivor-support that may one day be sufficient to make some survivors feel at ease with the idea of accepting reparations as a symbolic replacement for what has been lost.

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