Different roles played by Women The Commission recognised that women play different roles, some as witnesses, perpetrators, victims, or collaborators. Women had agency and chose to exercise it. In view of the special circumstances of women, the Commission held a Special Hearing on Women. The Women’s Ministry, UN and NGOS as well as International NGOS made oral and written submissions. Women appeared before the Commission and testified, some behind screens and others in open hearings. Highlighted are some of the specific experiences of women in Sierra Leone: Reparations ► Role of UNIFEM in assisting women and women’s groups to formulate recommendations was scaled up. ► Key recommendations were also made by women ► Law Reform-need to reform law so that women can own and inherit property, reform of law of primogeniture ► Ensure that girls can attend secondary and tertiary education without having to pay fees ► Raise the age of marriage for girls Final Report ► Special Chapter on Women and Armed Conflict ► Status of women before the war ► Documented their experiences of the war and the violations suffered ► Making links between past, the conflict and present day ► Findings and Recommendations Achievements Captured 13 000 statements ► Successfully dealt with myths around the conflict and debunked the notion that the major cause of conflict was diamonds ► Demonstrated successfully that poor governance, corruption, indifference of successive governments led to disenchantment by youth and ultimately to the conflict. Diamonds were noted as the fuelling factor in this violent conflict. Truth Commissions: the Best Practices 47