The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) led the development of the guide, Strengthening Participation in Local-Level and National Transitional Justice Processes: A Guide for Practitioners, which focuses on victim participation and the growing importance of informal processes in transitional justice in Sri Lanka. To inform the guide’s development, ABA ROLI held a workshop in Colombo to get input from nearly two dozen civil society organizations (CSOs). The guide was designed for CSOs, activists, and policy practitioners who are working to engage victims more fully in transitional justice processes at the national and local levels. The guide provides users with high-quality tools to make their work more effective, including in the design and implementation of locally led projects.
In collaboration with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, ABA ROLI facilitated a high-level study exchange between Sri Lankan legal professionals, government officials, and their counterparts in South Africa in 2016. Sri Lankan participants praised the program for informing their thinking about transitional justice as they consider Sri Lanka’s path from decades-long conflict.