"A tree is known by its fruit": child participation in transitional justice in Rwanda.

为了从暴行和大规模侵犯人权的行为中恢复过来，个人、社区和社会面临着极其复杂的挑战，包括了解发生了什么，如何追究责任人的责任，如何转变导致暴力的权力制度，以及如何建立（或重建）信任（Cohen, 2020, p1）。过渡时期司法指的是那些旨在帮助社会解决大规模侵犯人权遗留问题的机制（联合国安理会，2004年）。这些机制包括刑事问责、真相陈述、记忆保存、承认、赔偿和加强民主制度（Rodgers, 2021）。此外，许多社会已经制定并实施了自己的方式来处理过去的虐待行为，这些方式考虑到当地的政治、经济、社会和文化背景（Aptel和Ladisch， 2011）。在其核心，所有这些机制必须“确保问责制，服务正义，实现和解”（联合国安理会，2004年）。因此，过渡正义的目的是基于“对社会和个人的一系列承诺：改革后的国家、问责制、和解、权利，从根本上说，是变革”（Miller, 2008）。该奖学金扩展了以前的研究，研究如何以及为什么能够和应该促进儿童参与过渡时期司法。在全球不同背景下进行的数量有限的研究表明，儿童强烈希望在过渡时期司法机制中发表意见，但过渡时期司法政策和实践迄今未能以一致和有意义的方式支持18岁以下儿童的参与。我认为，儿童参与过渡时期司法必须建立在对《联合国儿童权利公约》（特别是《公约》第12条，该条规定，每个儿童都有权对影响到他们的一切事项表达他们的意见、感受和愿望，并使他们的意见得到考虑和认真对待）的充分了解的基础上，我强调必须将儿童的参与视为一项至关重要的事项，持久变化的长期贡献者。利用儿童权利框架，我明确指出，儿童不仅应该在决策中有发言权，而且应该承认他们根据自己的想法和观点改变社会的能力（Berkley和Lister， 2020）。反过来，这将给孩子们一个声音和一个承认和正义的空间，无论是现在还是未来的几代人（Aptel和Ladisch， 2011）。特别提到对卢旺达儿童（“青年”）进行的实地调查，计划中的专著是从跨学科的角度对过渡时期司法学术的原创贡献，并将作为未来努力的关键资源，使儿童的观点对过渡时期司法政策和实践产生影响。此外，计划与研究人员、政策制定者和从业人员举行的知识交流讲习班将重点讨论儿童的观点如何增加相关观点和经验，因此应在过渡时期司法决策中加以考虑，以及如果有系统地实施战略并建立尊重儿童及其观点的文化，为什么可以实现这一目标（联合国儿童权利委员会，第12号一般性意见，第136段）。该奖学金亦为国王学院的战争研究系及潘德新法律学院提供资助机会，为儿童参与过渡时期司法这一研究不足的领域作出亟需的原创贡献。此外，与卢旺达利益攸关方，特别是从事过渡时期司法研究、政策和实践工作的利益攸关方进行的有限的新研究将为本专著提供一套更新的建议。

To recover from atrocity and large-scale human rights abuses, individuals, communities and societies face hugely complex challenges, including understanding what has happened, how to hold those responsible to account, how to transform the systems of power that contributed to the violence, and how to build (or rebuild) trust (Cohen, 2020, p1). Transitional justice refers to those mechanisms designed to help a society come to terms with a legacy of large-scale human rights abuses (UNSC, 2004). Such mechanisms include criminal accountability, truth telling, memory preservation, acknowledgement, reparations, and the strengthening of democratic institutions (Rodgers, 2021). In addition, many societies have developed and implemented their own ways of dealing with past abuses, which take into account local political, economic, social and cultural contexts (Aptel and Ladisch, 2011). At their core, all such mechanisms must "ensure accountability, serve justice, and achieve reconciliation" (UNSC, 2004). The purpose of transitional justice is therefore based on "a series of promises to society and to individuals: of a reformed state, of accountability, of reconciliation, of rights, and fundamentally, of change" (Miller, 2008).The fellowship extends on previous research examining how and why the participation of children can, and should, be facilitated in transitional justice. A limited number of studies in various global contexts have shown that children have a strong desire to be heard in mechanisms of transitional justice, yet transitional justice policy and practice has so far failed to support participation from children under the age of eighteen in a consistent and meaningful way. Arguing that the participation of children in transitional justice must be built on a sound understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (particularly article 12 of the Convention, which states that every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them and to have their views considered and taken seriously), I stress the importance of viewing the participation of children as a vital, long-term contributor to lasting change. Using a child-rights framework, I make it clear that children should not only have a voice in decisions, but also be recognised for their capacity to change society according to their ideas and perspectives (Berkley and Lister, 2020). In turn, this would give children a voice and a space for acknowledgement and justice, both now and in (and for) future generations (Aptel and Ladisch, 2011). With particular reference to fieldwork undertaken with children ('youth') in Rwanda, the planned monograph is an original contribution to scholarship on transitional justice from the interdisciplinary perspective, and will serve as a key resource for future efforts to bring children's views to bear on transitional justice policy and practice. Moreover, planned knowledge exchange workshops with researchers, policymakers and practitioners will focus on how the views of children add relevant perspectives and experience, and therefore should be considered in transitional justice decision-making, and why such an objective is attainable if strategies are systematically implemented and a culture of respect for children and their views is built (UN CRC, General Comment 12, paragraph 136). The Fellowship also provides the opportunity to develop funding bids for the War Studies Department and the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's, making much-needed original contributions to the under-researched area of child participation in transitional justice. Moreover, limited new research with stakeholders in Rwanda, specifically those who work in transitional justice research, policy and practice, will inform a set of updated recommendations for the monograph.