Challenging Practices of Victim-Centeredness in Consultations on Transitional Justice: Creating Space for the Voices of the Disappeared in Sri Lanka

Abstract This article explores what it means to be victim-centered in a transitional justice (TJ) consultation process through the case study of the state-commissioned process in Sri Lanka in 2016. The author who was a member of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTF) uses an insider perspective and the CTF reports to examine victim-centeredness. While noting the limited available literature on the specific issue of consultations in TJ processes, the article draws on work focused on victim participation in TJ and, more broadly, public participation in governance and development. This article attempts to unpick the concept of victim-centeredness through focusing on three key aspects, namely: representation, the listening to and integration of victims’ voices, and the role of experts. It highlights the need to examine the internal operations of TJ structures so as to better understand the factors that contribute to creating spaces for meaningful victim participation.