Lived Experiences of Justice Among Survivors of Post-Conflict Human Rights Violations
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Abstract
Post-conflict justice is a key theme in human rights and socio-legal studies, focusing on the moral and psychological reconstruction of societies after violence. This study explores how survivors of human rights abuses internalize and interpret justice as a lived experience, emphasizing the human dimension beyond legal frameworks. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), twelve survivors who participated in truth commissions and community reconciliation programs were interviewed. The analysis revealed four main themes—reclaiming dignity, fragile institutional trust, the silence of collective memory, and justice as healing. These findings indicate that justice is not only a legal construct but also a moral and existential process of restoration and recognition. The phenomenological perspective provided a deeper understanding of how survivors’ sense of justice evolves through personal and collective meaning-making. This study contributes to developing survivor-centered justice mechanisms that are empathetic and contextually grounded. However, its scope is limited by the small sample size and the specific post-conflict context, suggesting the need for broader comparative research.
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