"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，如何转变促成暴力的权力制度，以及如何建立(或重建)信任(Cohen，2020，p1)。过渡时期司法是指那些旨在帮助社会接受大规模侵犯人权行为遗留问题的机制(联合国安理会，2004年)。这些机制包括追究刑事责任、说真话、保存记忆、承认、赔偿和加强民主机构(Rodgers，2021)。此外，考虑到当地的政治、经济、社会和文化背景，许多社会制定并实施了自己的方法来处理过去的虐待行为(Aptel和Ladisch，2011年)。所有这类机制的核心都必须“确保问责、伸张正义和实现和解”(安理会，2004年)。因此，过渡时期司法的目的是基于“对社会和个人的一系列承诺：改革后的国家、责任、和解、权利和根本上的改变”(米勒，2008年)。在各种全球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做法迄今未能支持18岁以下儿童以一致和有意义的方式参与。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，每个儿童都有权就影响他们的一切事项表达自己的观点、感受和愿望，并得到考虑和认真对待)的充分理解的基础上，强调必须将儿童的参与视为持久变革的重要、长期的贡献者。通过使用儿童权利框架，我明确指出，儿童不仅应该在决策中拥有发言权，而且他们根据自己的想法和观点改变社会的能力也应该得到认可(Berkley和Lister，2020)。反过来，这将给儿童一个声音和承认和正义的空间，无论是现在还是为子孙后代(和后代)(Aptel和Ladisch，2011)。特别是关于在卢旺达与儿童(“青年”)进行的实地考察，计划出版的专著是从跨学科角度对过渡时期司法学术的原创性贡献，并将成为今后努力将儿童的观点应用于过渡时期司法政策和实践的重要资源。此外，计划与研究人员、政策制定者和从业人员举办的知识交流讲习班将侧重于儿童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，以及如果有系统地执行各项战略并建立尊重儿童及其观点的文化，为什么能够实现这一目标(联合国儿童权利公约，第12号一般性意见，第136段)。该研究金还提供了为战争研究部和国王大学迪克森·潘法学院制定资金申请的机会，为过渡时期司法中儿童参与这一研究不足的领域作出了亟需的原创贡献。此外，与卢旺达的利益攸关方，特别是从事过渡司法研究、政策和实践工作的利益攸关方进行的有限的新研究，将为该专著提供一套最新建议。

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.