Case Studies 1. SIERRA LEONE Ms. Yasmin Sooka: How can a Commission ensure gender justice for both Victims and Perpetrators? T h e S i e r r a Le o n e Tr u t h a n d Reconciliation Commission (SLTRC) established a framework that integrated gender into all its work. A major development in the SLTRC was the broadening of its mandate from one restricted to civil and political rights, to one that looked at the structural causes and socio-economic component of the conflict. The Commission also provided safe spaces for women to comfortably testify, including in-camera and women-only hearings. In her presentation, Dr. Yasmin Sooka argued for the provision of spaces for input from women's groups on appropriate gendersensitive issues and recommendations, including reparations. Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of focusing on matters related to masculinity in the country so as to move beyond gender tokenism and to dismantle patriarchy. Similarities and differences with Zimbabwe In terms of similarities, while the patterns of violations [torture, rape, “bush wives”,] were similar, the difference was in scale. Sierra Leone experienced violations on a much larger scale than Zimbabwe. Both countries experienced the deployment of youth as perpetrators and, in Sierra Leone, rebels recruited child soldiers who committed human rights violations. Both countries experienced the challenges of shifting identities where an individual would be a victim in one instance and a perpetrator in another. They both had patriarchal societies that allowed conflict to be a space where perpetrators on both sides committed gender-based violence, including rape, against women as part of the overall strategy of violence. 10 The Second International Conference on Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe