DRC Outreach: Engaging and Empowering Victims to Participate in International Justice

Please join us for a discussion on the innovative victim outreach program being conducted in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by Wanda Hall, director of Interactive Radio for Justice (IRFJ; www.irfj.org). IRJF works in regions where the International Criminal Court is investigating atrocities, and through radio programming and public forums attempts to create an interactive dialogue between target communities affected by the ICC investigations and the the justice authorities who are responsible for establishing justice and rule of law in these regions. IRFJ has been active in the Ituri region of DRC since June 2005.

More broadly, it is becoming clear that without the involvement and expertise from international and national NGOs, media and academia specializing in international justice to help reach out to national justice systems and national civil society, the positive impact of international tribunals on victims is limited. Thus the international courts for Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia have also struggled to communicate their purpose and results to affected communities. USIP Senior Fellow David Tolbert and Rule of Law Advisor Scott Worden will discuss IRFJ's work in light of their experiences with the outreach efforts of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge Tribunal and other international courts.