Argentinian Transitional Justice Process: Women Behind.
Zavala Guillen, Anna. L. “Argentinian Transitional Justice Process: Women Behind.” Journal of Peace, Conflict & Development, no. 20 (2013). https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/112802/.
Trigger Warning: This article and summary discusses sensitive topics like sexual and gender-based violence.
This article looks into the intersections of gender, justice, and peace in Argentina’s transitional justice processes, shedding light on the historical marginalisation of women’s voices in post-conflict justice mechanisms. The author gives context on Argentina’s military regime, which used tactics like forced disappearances and torture to target perceived ideological opponents. Women who deviated from traditional gender norms were among the regime’s perceived enemies. The author presents women’s testimonies that reveal perpetrators use of sexual violence, like rape, to exert control in clandestine detention centres. The article then focuses on the pervasive gender discrimination in the post-conflict transitional justice process, arguing that despite grassroots women’s organisations’ persistent advocacy for accountability and justice, cases of gender-based and sexual violence were frequently dismissed or stigmatised during formal legal proceedings.
Ultimately, the article maintains that excluding women’s voices and experiences from transitional justice processes undermines the overarching goals of restoring peace, strengthening democracy, and advancing human rights. It emphasises the importance of greater recognition of the gendered effects of conflict, as well as a more inclusive approach to transitional justice that prioritises the voices and experiences of those who are frequently excluded from the dialogue. Failure to do so perpetuates a cycle of impunity and injustice, depriving women of their right to justice and keeping them marginalised in post-conflict societies. By questioning whose justice takes precedence and what notion of peace is pursued within justice mechanisms, the paper prompts critical reflection on the interplay between justice and peace in reconciliation efforts.