| Committee for Conflict Transformation Support | CCTS
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Conflict Transformation: from Violence To Politics Repairing the psychological and social fabric None of the four groups took this topic for its initial focus, but at least two of them discussed it briefly in the afternoon and included some thoughts about it in their reports The group above noted that rituals of purification could offer a non-divisive way for wrongs to be acknowledged and processed, both individually and communally. Remembering those who have suffered and died is necessary and is not in contradiction to forgiveness. Here are some other points taken from Peter Jarman's record of the discussion in his own group (the one which discussed the conditions necessary for peacebuilding): In situations like those created by the second Russian-Chechen war, there is severe trauma amongst thousands of children and adults. Every victim of violence is in need of counselling, but to attend to each victim in a person-centred way is well beyond available counsellors with appropriate training and language facilities. Is there a tradition of collective trauma counselling in some cultures, we wondered? In post-communist countries there is already trauma. Citizens are having to assume responsibility for decisions affecting their livelihoods, rather than leaving that to the Party, and of knowing who they are - establishing their personal and collective identities. This problem is compounded in a violent situation in which their livelihood is destroyed. After interethnic violence, like that in the Balkans and Nagorno Karabakh, ethnic groups often become further alienated from each other by ceasefire lines and by the hostile stereotyping of one group by the other, fuelled by the media. To restore a multi-ethnic civil society, 'normal' constructive communication needs to be re-established. Outside NGOs can be instrumental in this, by travelling across the ceasefire lines, helping to rebuild positive communication and eventually helping groups of different ethnicity to meet together by offering an outside, monitoring or facilitating presence. This nurturing of contacts can be embarrassing to governments, for to some extent it undermines their authority, that may require them to remain hostile to any kind of rapprochement. NGOs engaged in this task need to exercise discretion and diplomacy to maintain trustworthy contacts between peoples and governments. Often women and young people accompanied by outside NGOs are the first to be prepared to take the step of crossing the ceasefire lines. The adult males who participated in the fighting are less likely to be involved initially, though in some situations, for instance in Northern Ireland, ex-fighters/ terrorists/ bombers have taken initiatives to reduce further potential violence.
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