removed from any positions of power and authority that would allow them to commit further human rights abuses in the future; • to recommend appropriate remedial steps to provide reparations to victims, including referral of cases for prosecution, non-repetition of abuse, rehabilitation, provision of monetary compensation to individuals or communities that have been particularly badly affected by grave human rights abuses, ordering perpetrators to pay monetary compensation or make other types of reparation to victims; • to explore the desirability of facilitating genuine community reconciliation; • to facilitate processes of community driven exhumation, reburial and memorialisation. To be effective this Commission must be independent, credible, efficient, adequately resourced, accessible and victim-friendly. Civic organisations should monitor and support the operations of this Commission. Victims appearing before this Commission must be treated with sensitivity and respect and be given protection against reprisals. There is need for a proper gender balance on this Commission and particular attention must be paid to the special needs of women and children victims. The government formed after the transition must commit itself to co-operate with and to support the activities of this Commission and must give an unequivocal undertaking to implement its recommendations wherever possible. The participants called for the conducting of a comprehensive people driven constitutional reform exercise that will lay emphasis on the protection of all human rights and the establishment of a number of Commissions to protect and promote these human rights. There should be special Commissions to deal with land, gender issues and economic crimes such as corruption, asset stripping and debts incurred by previous governments in connection with human rights abuses. The mandate of the Commission on economic crimes should include • referral of cases to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution; • in conjunction with other appropriate state agencies, taking of vigorous steps to recover misappropriated state assets: • imposition of financial penalties upon those who were financial beneficiaries of human rights abuses. A substantial portion of the assets recovered by this process should be devoted to compensating individuals and communities harmed by past human rights abuses. All these Commissions must be given an explicit mandate to recommend measures aimed at redressing socio-economic injustices of the colonial and post-colonial periods. The new Government must immediately establish a reparations fund to compensate victims of human rights abuses. Concerted efforts must be made to tap all possible sources of local and international finance for this fund, including assets recovered by the Economic Crime Commission. If financially feasible, full compensation should be paid to those who suffered the greatest harm as 44