There was a long history of ethnic divide and intense hate propaganda that shaped the mentality of the whole population and prepared them to slaughter neighbors, friends, colleagues, in-laws, and inmates only because they looked different.

“I was still that little five year old kid under the bed wondering “Why did they have to take my dad away?’. . . So gacaca was a breakthrough. . . I understood that my dad didn’t abandon me . . He was taken and killed.”

Restorative justice systems are premised on the belief that punishment alone is an ineffective resolution and that victims must play a central role in conflict resolution. As such, restorative justice systems emphasize dialogue, reconciliation, rehabilitation, and community-based restoration.