Youth & Revolution

Shifting the paradigm on cultural property and heritage in international law and armed conflict: time to talk about reparations?

“…Courts have been more inclined to focus rehabilitation on the human impact of cultural destruction on communities and groups. 32 This can require the 'necessary material, medical, psychological and social assistance' to victims and affected communities to restore their 'functional ability ' (United Nations 1985, Principle 14;Sandoval 2009, 8). Such harm has implications for subsequent and future generations within a group or community.…”

“…44 For the wider community in Timbuktu the ICC ordered collective measures to be implemented to alleviate their economic loss, which included community-based educational and awareness raising programmes, return/resettlement programmes, and a 'microcredit system' that would assist the population to generate income. 45 Trust funds have been established to assist community development in redressing the wider consequences of cultural destruction. 46 This reflects that compensation alone cannot adequately alleviate the scale and communal nature of suffering caused by the destruction of cultural property.…”