Gender justice sees equal power relations, privilege, dignity, and freedom for people of different
genders as a necessary component for any “just” society and a prerequisite for development.
Gender justice includes gender equality, meaning substantive freedom for all genders to have
genuine choices about their lives. Mirroring a global pattern in peace and security practice and
policy-making, transitional justice (TJ) practice has tended to reduce gender justice concerns to
violence against women (VAW). This policy brief advocates for policy-makers to adopt a broader
and more meaningful understanding of gender justice, and to incorporate it into their TJ policymaking.
To demonstrate the need for a broader understanding of gender justice within TJ processes,
this policy brief draws upon a study conducted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and
Reconciliation (CSVR) on the drivers and impacts of TJ in Africa. The study examined gender trends emerging from 13 African countries that had State-led TJ processes between 1990 and 2011, and their impacts up until 2016. Based on the academic literature and available data for the 13 cases, four key factors were used as basic indicators of gender justice: women’s political rights and representation; women’s economic equity; women’s participation in civil society; and State measures against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
