|
The Northern Uganda Transitional Justice Working Group (NUTJWG) is a coalition of 130 civil society organizations from throughout northern Uganda, which serves as a coordinating body for advocacy, capacity-building, research, policy formulation and mobilization on transitional justice issues.
NUTJWG routinely holds dialogue meetings with Uganda’s Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS), solidifying strategic collaborative relationships. Proposals put forth by NUTJWG have the weight of a substantive membership behind them and have gained respect from government agencies and officials. NUTJWG has played an instrumental role in formulating policies on issues that arose from the Juba peace talks, maintaining an active presence at the regional and federal levels. NUTJWG had input into the International Crimes Bill, which became law, essentially domesticating the Rome Statute in Uganda.
The JLOS solicited assistance from NUTJWG to obtain community consensus on a Reconciliation Bill. Consultations are currently taking place within other regions of Uganda. The GOU has also begun to draft a Reparations Bill. Prior to this, there has been no law supporting reparations in Uganda. NUTJWG has been working to define reparations as separate from development aid and seeks to create regulations for a system that compensates victims uniformly, inspiring confidence and trust in government.
In May 2010, during a three-week period in Kampala, NUTJWG actively participated in the ICC Review Conference, presenting on reparations and victims’ rights at the civil society and delegate levels. NUTJWG worked with conference planners to organize a football match featuring “justice” and “peace” teams comprised of players who were victims of human rights abuses in northern Uganda. The teams were led by President Museveni and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The game recognized victims who had previously been ignored and was an important gesture indicating that victims, the GOU and the international community are unified in pursuit of justice.
Through its advocacy efforts, NUTJWG played a role in helping the GOU set up an International Crimes Division, a court within the high court of Uganda, which will handle war crimes cases in northern Uganda. The first perpetrators will be tried in Gulu, where victims and witnesses of human rights abuses along with the community at large will have access to the open proceedings. The work of NUTJWG originates from and returns to the grassroots, ensuring that victims’ rights are paramount in any debate.
|
