As part of the program supporting peace in Yemen through strengthened accountability, reconciliation, and knowledge exchange, the Transitional Justice Ambassadors Forum held an awareness session on Saturday titled “Justice from the Victims’ Perspective: Understanding Rights and Paths to Recovery.”
The session was jointly organized by the Abductees Mothers Association and SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, in partnership with the DT Institute.
The event focused on increasing victims’ awareness of their rights and deepening their understanding of transitional justice processes. Participants discussed their own vision of justice, the major challenges they face, and ways to access effective remedies that support both psychological and legal recovery.
Participants emphasized the urgent need to ensure victims can access their rights without barriers, and called for stronger coordination between human rights and community organizations to prevent recurring violations and build a more just and peaceful future.
The session produced several notable recommendations, including: enacting a Transitional Justice Law; establishing official institutions dedicated to victims and their families; and adopting programs for material, moral, and psychological reparations. Attendees also encouraged community initiatives that document and criminalize violations, create blacklists of perpetrators, acknowledge victims’ suffering, and support their reintegration into society.
Victims demanded to be directly included, in both presence and voice, in discussions pertaining to their issues, rejecting representation through intermediaries.
They also outlined their most pressing recovery needs, which included psychological and physical safety, access to justice, community support, and active advocacy for their cases.
At the conclusion of the session, participants expressed their appreciation to the Abductees Mothers Association for its ongoing efforts in defending victims’ rights, raising awareness, and empowering affected communities.
