In mobilizing support inside the country to contribute positively to and influence the outcome of future political negotiations, civil society can usefully embark on an urgent campaign to educate the wider public as well as their colleagues as to what reparations can entail. Many lawyers, for example, see reparation only in the narrow sense of monetary compensation, while people in the health professions tend to focus only on rehabilitation, and so on. There is a need to make as many people as possible aware of the full breadth of measures that may make up a genuine ‘justice package’ for those whose fundamental human rights have been grossly violated. Only when there is a much deeper understanding of these aspects will politicians find it more difficult to further marginalize an already marginalized group, either 21 before, during or after transition. It is suggested that in the course of such a campaign, entailing the different conceptions of reparations, the wants and needs of Zimbabwe’s victims will more clearly emerge, as will the incompatibility of meeting those wants and needs without firmly confronting the scourge of amnesties. The important role of victims themselves in this process cannot be over-emphasised. Unless and until victims are made central to any examination of what reparations entail it will not be possible to fully unpack the different elements relevant to the specifics of Zimbabwe. Such an approach is fully in accordance with the symposium’s position when proposing mechanisms for addressing the needs of victims: “Victims of all past human rights abuses have the right to redress and to be consulted about the nature of the mechanisms that will be established to address their needs. The mechanisms that are established must be victim-centred, and must be capable of addressing the needs of victims in a meaningful way. Prior to the establishment of these mechanisms, there must be an extensive process of consultation with the victims and the 21 For a survey of the wide aspects which make up reparation see below p.32-36. 9