Truth and Reconciliation Commission Processes: Learning From the Solomon Islands by Karen Brounéus

Author:Karen Brounéus [Brounéus, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781538158746
Google: GyGezgEACAAJ
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2021-11-10T02:50:38+00:00

KNOWLEDGE OF AND PARTICIPATION IN THE TRC

A large majority of the survey participants had heard about the TRC: in both 2011 and 2013, about two out of three interviewees (65% in 2011; 73% in 2013) had heard about the TRC (figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1. Heard about the TRC and from what source, in 2011 and 2013

* Statistically significant difference between groups in 2011 and 2013 at p < .05.

As could be expected, an overwhelming majority of interviewees who had heard about the TRC had done so through the radio (72% in both years)— after which came hearing of the TRC through TRC awareness events (53% in 2011; 38% in 2013), the newspaper (30% in 2011; 36% in 2013), and— importantly—rumors (23% in 2011; 37% in 2013). Among those who had heard of the TRC in 2013, more than one-third had done so through rumors (37%). This indicates that the work of the TRC became increasingly known over time—also after its conclusion—and points to the importance of word of mouth in Solomon Islands society. It also emphasizes the importance of reliable information and education, so rumors can be based on correct information, and critically assessed.2 Also, in 2013, the number of people who had heard about the TRC through the Church had doubled (10% in 2011; 21% in 2013), showing that the Church played an important role of disseminating knowledge about the TRC also after its completion.

As can be seen in table 5.1, not many TRC hearings had been held in our interviewees’ communities. In 2011, 131 interviewees answered that the TRC had held hearings in their communities; in 2013, 90 people answered the TRC had been there. This means that for those who had heard of the TRC, one in five had had a TRC hearing in their community (22%) in 2011, and only 14% in 2013.3 While no more than one in five interviewees had attended a TRC hearing in the survey population as a whole (21% in 2011; 16% in 2013), over half of the interviewees in both years had heard a TRC hearing on the radio (64% in 2011; 57% in 2013). Not many interviewees had seen a TRC hearing on TV (12% in 2011; 13% in 2013), in line with the rarity of television sets in households as seen in chapter 3 (6–8%).

We can also see in table 5.1 that 42 interviewees (7%) in the survey of 2011 had witnessed in the TRC as compared to 51 (8%) in 2013. In total, 146 victims and 34 ex-combatants participated in the open hearings of the TRC (Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report January 2012). Hence, albeit seemingly few, the number of interviewees in our study who had witnessed is quite high compared to the total number of witnesses. In the survey, we also asked a question on whether people had been discouraged to witness in the TRC, for example, by family that were worried about their safety, or through threats. Encouragingly, this does not seem to have been a big problem for the Solomon Islands TRC process.

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