IMPORTANT GOALS OF THE TRUTH COMMISSION

Truth Commissions are particular in their scope, form, and mandates. Nevertheless many commissions will attempt to achieve a number or all of the goals below:

1. Give Meaning to the Voice of Individual Victims

Truth Commissions (TRC) attempt to obtain official knowledge from individual victims by permitting them to submit statements to The Commission, or giving witness before The Commission in a public forum related to the violation of basic human rights that they have suffered.  

2. Make Historical Corrections according to Incidents of Gross Human Rights Violations

The TRC can focus its attention on certain incidents, during a period of time in which the violations were committed, in order to make historical corrections according to what actually happened. These incidents are usually contested by an authority or constitute the subject of a dispute or controversy. The TRC can help resolve the issue by uncovering the incident and then credibly and comprehensively considering the data.

3. Public Education and Awareness

The TRC focuses public attention on human rights violations, and through this increases general awareness around the social and individual loss that results from human rights violations. This process of public education also contributes to community knowledge on the suffering of victims, and helps move a society towards preventing incidents of this kind reoccurring.

4. Investigate the Systematic Violation of Human Rights, Leading to Institutional Reform

The TRC can investigate the consequence and nature of systematic and institutional human rights violations. Once the Commission has successfully identified the pattern of human rights violations, or the institutions that are responsible for these violations, the Commission can recommend a framework of social programs or institutional and legislative reforms, in order to prevent the reoccurrence of human rights violations.

5. Provide an Assessment of the Effect of Human Rights Violations on Victims

The Commission gathers in depth information on human rights violations and their impact on victims. The Commission can then make recommendations on ways to help victims face and overcome their experience. 

6. Responsibility of the Perpetrator

The Commission can also gather information associated with the individual identity of human rights perpetrators. The Commission can perhaps also promote a sense of accountability for the crimes of individuals that have been publicly indicated and the institutions responsible for their actions, give recommendations that the perpetrators need to be removed from public positions, or give factual evidence for indicting the indictement-prosecution to a court of law.

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