Second, the effectiveness of vetting heavily depends on other transitional justice measures,
whether different measures are deliberately designed to relate to one another, and also on
how they are sequenced. This is in turn, poses challenges to measure with accuracy and
certainty the success of vetting as it hinges on many factors that are irreducibly contingent
and contextual. (De Greiff, 2008 527)
However, scholars and practitioners have conceded that “vetting may also facilitate the
broader sorts of institutional reform measures that are often called for in the after-math of
conflict and in transitions to democracy” (De Greiff, 2008 530). For instance, Mayer Rieckh
states that in the early stages of transitional justice, vetting enhances the efficiency of
transitional justice mechanisms such as prosecutions, truth enquiries among others. In his
own words:
The point is that the contribution that vetting can make to a transition goes
beyond removing obstacles that may lie in the way of putting transitional justice
measures in place. Vetting can contribute positively to the operation of institutions
that are rarely created de novo or totally and thoroughly transformed. (De Greiff
and Mayer Rieckh (eds.) 2007:480)
Vetting may also contribute to the creation of a wholly new institutional and national culture.
4.6.7 Reparations
In transitional justice reparations often comes last, sometimes years after other mechanisms
such as trials, truth commissions and institutional reforms,26 and mainly because “reparations
usually come at the end after a long drawn out process of assigning blame and establishing
lines of accountability” (Mendez 2012: 1280). In South Africa, the reparations are not yet
completed (still regarded as „unfinished business of the TRC), Germany only recently
finished paying reparations for the Second World War that ended in 1945, and Japan has only
admitted to pay reparations to the so-called comfort women.
As was seen in the quantitative analysis, reparations increased in the post-transition period
and were markedly more common in Africa in comparison with the other countries in the
sample. They were also more common in countries transitioning from civilian as opposed to
military rule.
Reparations can be classified in four types. Firstly, reparations can take the form of concrete
benefits, such as cash payments, social welfare entitlements, or guaranteed access to
education and employment. Secondly, reparations can also be more ethereal, including
apologies, memorials, and efforts to achieve social, cultural, and institutional reform. Thirdly,
beyond form, reparations also can be categorized according to who benefits and who
contributes. For example, reparations can be directed either toward specific individuals or a
group. Finally, reparations can be classified according to contribute may be selected
individuals, groups, or states.
It is not possible to generalize the effects of reparations in transitional states because only in
exceptional cases reparations can be a feature of pre-transitional states. In the countries
26
Despite the nature that reparations can be designed to be life long e.g compansation for victims with
permament disability , but their dispensation can also take longtime after recommendations by the TRC.
33
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