mechanisms should be explored to make sure there is adequate protection
for victims, survivors and witnesses. Such mechanisms should be widely
publicized with the affected groups and possible violators of this principle
like the police must make a public commitment that witnesses will not be
victimized for their testimonies. A more detailed discussion on this matter
is necessary.
2.17 Media and Communications
The story of national healing is more than just news. It is about human
dignity. It matters how the NPRC activities are going to be reported. Names
of victims and perpetrators are a sensitive part of information. And yet the
society has the right to information. The NPRC should develop a
comprehensive media policy to ensure that it provides adequate
information to the media on its programme. This media policy must also
layout the reporting guidelines for the media especially as it relates to the
dignity of victims and alleged perpetrators. The commission should also
not starve the media of information. History has shown that where the
media is starved of information, rumours take over and there is a lot of
misinformation. If resources permit, a media and information officer must
be appointed to attend to all information needs of the society and ensure
that the principles of peace journalism are ingrained in the manner in
which the NPRC handles its information. In our Minimum Standards, we
have noted that our society must ensure that the need to sell news does not
overtake the respect for the dignity of victims.
2.18 Reporting and Feedback Mechanisms
The NPRC Act and the Constitution create an obligation for the NPRC to
make certain reports to different bodies including Parliament. Besides the
statutory obligations, the NPRC should make it mandatory that all its work
and activities are documented, reported, and carefully archived. These
reports must be time sensitive. The NPRC diary could be juxtaposed with
relevant reports. Outreach meetings must be well documented and
reported. After an outreach meeting, the report of such an outreach
mission should be shared with the community in which the outreach was
held and the community must certify that the report is accurate. A
feedback mechanism could be developed to ensure that what was agreed
is implemented. This is not only an ethical thing to do, but also helps in
building trust with the community and gives fruit to their efforts.
11
THE CODE OF INCLUSION
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