Responsibility and accountability for human rights abuse

The experience of South Africa s Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed important debates in theory and in the South African social context over the concepts of responsibility and accountability for human rights abuse. Its implicit approach was to emphasise collective responsibility, and to make a moral argument for individuals and collectives to accept responsibility and hold themselves accountable by contributing to future change. This approach raises important theoretical issues, which include: the relationship between individual responsibility, collective responsibility and the influence of the system ; the nature of collective responsibility; the nature of morality; the distinction between moral and political responsibility; and how individuals and collectives can or should be held accountable. In a detailed analysis of the TRC, this work seeks to draw out how these theoretical debates were present within and impacted on the TRC s work. It was impossible for the TRC to satisfy everyone and resolve these debates, and its approach led to unrealistic expectations of its work and its role more generally. This has impacted negatively on how the TRC was and is perceived.

Autorentext

Marina Carman, BA (Hons.) Sydney, MA (Research) University of NSW. Politics and International Relations. Research Fellow - Policy at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society and Program Director, HIV Consortium for Partnerships in Asia and the Pacific.

Klappentext

The experience of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed important debates in theory and in the South African social context over the concepts of responsibility and accountability for human rights abuse. Its implicit approach was to emphasise collective responsibility, and to make a moral argument for individuals and collectives to accept responsibility and hold themselves accountable by contributing to future change. This approach raises important theoretical issues, which include: the relationship between individual responsibility, collective responsibility and the influence of "the system"; the nature of collective responsibility; the nature of morality; the distinction between moral and political responsibility; and how individuals and collectives can or should be held accountable. In a detailed analysis of the TRC, this work seeks to draw out how these theoretical debates were present within and impacted on the TRC's work. It was impossible for the TRC to satisfy everyone and resolve these debates, and its approach led to unrealistic expectations of its work and its role more generally. This has impacted negatively on how the TRC was and is perceived.