Dealing With the Past: Survivors’ Perspectives on Economic                     Reparations in Argentina

Sveaass, Nora; Sønneland, Anne Margrethe

doi:10.1037/ipp0000041

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The interviewees were asked about their thoughts and experiences regarding the trials and individual economic reparations, as well as whether they felt that trials led to any sense of justice (Sveaass & Sønneland, 2015). It was established whether the interviewees were survivors, relatives of persons disappeared, or both.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survivors’ experiences with testifying in trials after gross human rights violations in Argentina

Sønneland

2021

torture

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In Argentina, persons who were held detained-disappeared during the last military dictatorship (1976 - 1983) now testify in trials related to the military regime’s use of enforced disappearances, torture and other crimes. The trials were re-initiated in 2005, after more than a decade of impunity. Trials have been taking place all over the country since then. Trials are related either to individual perpetrators, individual victims, or to places where the crimes were committed. Many witnesses testify in a number of trials. In this article, I explore experiences with testifying in these trials, based on interviews with 23 persons who were held ‘detained-disappeared’ for political reasons during the dictatorship. The witnesses have testified both to what they themselves have endured, and to crimes committed towards persons who remain forcefully disappeared. The testimonies of persons who were held detained-disappeared are central in the trials, as there is often little evidence besides these testimonies. The interviewees express a strong sense of responsibility related to testifying in court, due to the central role of these testimonies as well as the witnesses’ responsibility towards those who remain forcefully disappeared or were killed. Through testimonies in court, persons who remain forcefully disappeared are presented as persons with agency and often with a political commitment; not only as victims of serious violations of human rights. I discuss testimonies in court as a longer process, which begins before the trial is initiated and where the testimony itself is the main event. To testify in court may lead to distress, and there is a worry about re-traumatisation. Several aspects of trials have an influence on the experience with testifying, among them the presence and attitude of the defendants; the presence of threats, the ways in which questions are asked during testimonies, and how many trials the witness has testified in.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survivors’ experiences with testifying in trials after gross human rights violations in Argentina

Sønneland

2021

torture

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“…The political ambitions, formulated by those negotiating the peace accords, were in starch contrast to the situation on the ground, where there was no sense of safety or security, nor a space for reconciling with persons with whom one recently had been in conflict. From a psychological point of view, it seemed evident that political decisions and processes could not be successful as long as justice and truth were not taken into account or the need for creating safety and security not dealt with (Skjelsbaek, 2012;Sveaass & Sønneland, 2015).…”

Section: Justice and Accountabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Human Rights Committee at the Norwegian Psychological Association

Sveaass

2019

European Psychologist

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Abstract. The close connection between psychology and human rights is discussed through a presentation of the Human Rights Committee in the Norwegian Psychological Association. The importance of human rights education for a human rights-based approach in psychology is highlighted. The article describes the political events and the strengthening of the international human rights field that inspired the establishment of the committee and the definition of its goals. Main areas are presented, such as the psychological needs of refugees and their rights in resettlement countries, including the right to rehabilitation of victims of torture and the situation for separated minors seeking asylum, and their need for protection and care. Furthermore, human rights in mental health care, focusing on the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as children’s rights, and state obligations to prevent violence and abuse are central concerns. The right not to be discriminated or marginalized is emphasized and the need for psychologists to be involved in protection against discrimination. An international perspective focusing on psychologists involved in human rights abuses or psychologists themselves under threat is discussed as part of the committee’s engagement. The close collaboration with civil society organizations has enabled the committee to work with alternative reports to international monitoring mechanisms as part of periodic reporting, both to UN Treaty bodies and to the UN Human Rights Council (Universal Periodic Review). Finally, the importance of human rights-based psychology, and how joint initiatives can strengthen respect and promotion of rights, are reflected upon.

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“…I join a growing number of scholars examining transitional justice at the micro-level (Aguilar et al 2011;Cilliers et al 2016;Gibson 2004, Brounéus 2010). In the realm of reparations, most work has focused on reparations preferences (Espinoza Cuevas, Ortiz Rojas, and Rojas Baeza 2003;Laplante and Theidon 2007;David and Choi 2005;Viaene 2010) and victims' attitudinal responses (Sveaass and Sønneland 2015;Luzzi 2014Luzzi , 2018Pham et al 2016). Behaviorally, I find an increase in political participation among a subset of victims resistant to engage in politics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than money: The political consequences of reparations

Voytas¹

2021

Preprint

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After political violence, many states compensate victims as part of their approach to transitional justice. Do material reparations change political participation? I argue that receiving material reparations can increase political engagement. I use a multi-method approach to show that surviving victims of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile who receive a material reparation are more likely to register to vote after being compensated. I substantiate this claim through content analysis of victim testimonies, qualitative interviews, and causal estimates that exploit exogenous variation in the timing of reparations. I find that reparations are capable of persuading resistant populations to engage in politics. Additionally, my results suggest that the noneconomic component of reparations payments is particularly valued by recipients, as victims use this transitional justice experience to update their views about the state. In particular, victims value the acknowledgment attached to compensation and the consistency with which their payments are received. These findings suggest that analyses of the consequences of violence should account for experiences with transitional justice policies. From a policy perspective, the results are important for societies implementing transitional justice policies in the hopes of achieving long-lasting peace and preventing reversions to violence.

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Dealing With the Past: Survivors’ Perspectives on Economic Reparations in Argentina

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Survivors’ experiences with testifying in trials after gross human rights violations in Argentina

Survivors’ experiences with testifying in trials after gross human rights violations in Argentina

The Human Rights Committee at the Norwegian Psychological Association

More than money: The political consequences of reparations

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