Telling the truth

Diciendo la verdad

There is a common assumption that telling the truth concerning events that occurred during the war could have an important role for the reconciliation and social reconstruction processes. Even if there is an institution where telling the truth could result in the sentencing of crimes, there are still many obstacles to rebuilding confidence among nations that participated in the war. Telling the truth can encounter three view points according to the three parties that are recognized as being involved in the violent acts: victims, perpetrators and bystanders. Each of them has their own interests that could influence the process of telling the truth concerning what happened. Given that there is more than one interest, we consequently have "more than one truth". The precondition that truth telling impacts mental health and social rebuilding is twofold. (1) Creating readiness for listening not only to "our" truth, but also to the truth of the other side and searching for possible motivation of all three sides for telling and listening "the truth of the others". (2) Creating an atmosphere in which crimes would be taken more as an opportunity for learning from mistakes with a possibility for appropriate rehabilitation of criminals instead of (only) punishment. But what should be done in the meantime? From my viewpoint, there are three domains of knowledge which are implicated in the issue of creating motivation for agreeing about real truth and social rebuilding on the basis of it: (1) trauma issues - consequences of "forgetting" and denying in terms of transgenerational trauma for all sides in conflict; (2) violence issues - to demystificate universal mechanisms of violence in capturing entire groups and nations in political interests and to add knowledge about treatment of perpetrators; (3) spirituality - supporting resources for spiritual recovery and diminishing drives which are a source of violent and abusive behaviors. All those who understand the importance of motives for changing the paradigm of doing and the long term benefits that might be gained by truth telling should reconsider their own barriers to active work on their own capacities. Then they can begin the important work of teaching and sensitizing their communities to strive to these ideals.

Edita Ostojic is a psychologist, working in the "Medica" women's project for women and children survivors of (war) trauma and violence, based in Zenica, Bosna and Hercegovina. She has shaped and lead many trainings for governmental institutions and NGO-s on working with traumatized people and victims of violence, and for sensitizing the community to trauma and violence issues.