e. Appropriate measures shall be taken in order to minimize inconvenience to victims and, when necessary, to protect their privacy, to ensure their safety as well as that of their families and of witnesses testifying on their behalf, and to protect them from intimidation; f. Appropriate measures shall be taken to allow victims to communicate in the language of their choice; g. Informal mechanisms for the resolution of disputes, including mediation, arbitration and any procedure provided for by customary law and practice may be applied, where appropriate, to facilitate reconciliation and redress for victims. 11.0 The Need for a Specific Section on Gender The Bill is deafeningly silent on gender just like its previous versions. The NTJWG Minimum Standards make several recommendations on how to ensure that the NPRC effectively mainstreams gender in its work. These include taking deliberate steps to ensure that the NPRC treat gender as both a specific theme as well as a cross cutting issue. It is therefore recommended that separate section must be inserted on gender. This section must set up a Gender Unit or any similar mechanism of choice, which will do the following:  Develop specific guidelines and rules on how the Commission will incorporate gender into its work  Develop strategies to encourage the participation of women, girls and other marginalised groups into the work of the Commission  Facilitate gender equity in the structure of the Commission  Ensure the needs of women and girls are prioritised in line with UN best practices  Ensure the mainstreaming of gender imperatives into every aspect of the Commission’s work  Taking steps to ensure that all organs of the Commission shall consider and address the gender implications of their activities  Conduct gender sensitivity training for all the Commission’s personnel before the formal operations of the Commission commence and periodically during the Commission’s operations  Appoint or second a dedicated gender focal person to each committee and body;  Recommend protocols for statement taking, collection and analysis of gender and sexdisaggregated data, the conduct of interviews and hearings and other operational matters to ensure that gender concerns are fully addressed  Monitor gender related practices within the Commission and advice on best practice and principle.  Investigate gender based human rights violations as they arose during the conflicts of the past  Investigate the use of gendered violence by factions and public institutions  Investigate the use of sexual crimes as a weapon during and after conflicts  Reach out to and identify victims of gender based violations and provide such victims an opportunity, in private or public, to relate their own accounts of the violations or harm they have suffered and to set out their needs;  Hold specific public or private hearings on the gendered nature and context of violence and marginalization; and investigate the causes of such violence and marginalization; 15 NTJWG Analysis of the NPRC Bill, March 2017