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 In the first study of its kind, the researchers analyzed the outcome
of a reconciliation program in Sierra Leone between 2011 and 2012, a
decade after the country ended its civil war, in which more than
50,000 people were killed and many tens of thousands more were
mutilated or raped by fighters.
The program, carried out across 100 villages, brought together
victims who described violence they experienced and perpetrators who
admitted to crimes and asked for forgiveness.
While forgiveness toward perpetrators increased, the prevalence of
severe trauma among the participants was more than a third higher
than among those who didn't take part in the project, said the
study, published in the journal Science.
"Talking about war atrocities can prove psychologically traumatic
for people affected by war," Oeindrila Dube, assistant professor of
politics and economics at New York University and one of the authors
of the study, said in a statement.
"Invoking war memories appears to re-open old war wounds. At the
same time, the reconciliation program we examined was also shown to
improve social relations in communities divided by the war."
The study recorded mental health, social ties and attitudes toward
former combatants of nearly 2,400 people, both among those who
participated in the program and those who did not.
Among the benefits of the program the study noted increased
forgiveness toward perpetrators, better relationships between
community members and increased participation in community groups
and religious organizations.
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The researchers from Georgetown University, New York University,
World Bank and the non-profit Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
said reconciliation programs should be redesigned to reduce their
negative impact.
"Policymakers may need to restructure reconciliation processes in
ways that reduce their negative psychological costs, while retaining
their positive societal benefits," Annie Duflo, IPA executive
director, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Magdalena Mis; Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit
Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters,
that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights, corruption and
climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
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