1. Community Based Sociotherapy in Post-gacaca Rwanda
Its contribution to peace building, mental health and psychosocial well-being Emmanuel Sarabwe on behalf of CBSP staff Mexico, 6 December 2016

2. Flow of presentation The research methodology
Marital life in the aftermath of genocide
Communication between parents and children
The negative effect of disclosure/knowing I
Attempts of ST in reconstructing family communication
Case study of communication between children and parents
Community networking in peace-building process

3. Methodology Semi-structured interviews In-depth interviews
Focus group discussions
Participatory observations
Home visits

4. Marital life in the aftermath of genocide
Family conflict existed before the genocide but the genocide generated additional risk factors
In some families, conflict triggers were dormant before the genocide but were activated through additional triggers generated by the genocide
Genocide related factors
Genocide perpetration and its consequences
Refugee-hood its consequences
Victimization due to genocidal violence and its consequences
Inter-marriage
Being a descendant of a genocide survivor or a genocide perpetrator
Couples respond differently to the risk factors listed above

5. Gaps in communication between parents and children
Parents don’t communicate with their children about what happened to them because it is traumatizing or they want to protect them
Perpetrators are ashamed that their children know them as killers
Parents don’t inform their children about use of family property in reparation
Children get information from public events like Gacaca, commemoration, Ndi Umunyarwanda, school, extended families, neighbors, etc. but not from parents
Lack of communication creates distance between parents and children and consequently children don’t get appropriate guidance from parents
Shame, fear and mistrust among children
Difficult to explain how children were born from rape by Interahamwe

6. Case studies of children
“Something has always been on my heart and I want to know why I don’t have grandparents. Why we never visited the village of my father where we /our father originates. I would wish to know why my father is the only one alive from his family. I remember asking him to bring me to his village and he refused. If I could know, then I can have information for my future children if they will ever ask.” (male, 21 years old)
“I wish you (researcher) will ask her and then tell me what she told you. All you will request her to tell me about that. She does not tell me when I ask her.” (male, 20 years old)
“They hide what they did. They point fingers to others. They do not want us know what they have done. They are afraid that we shall follow their examples.” (female, 18 years old)

7. Children born after genocide
Drop out of school or have problems at school;
Are rebellious, aggressive and stubborn;
Dot not care about the genocide and hate the word genocide;
Do not understand what happened in 1994 and afterwards;
Get married early;
Treat parents as useless and not deserving respect;
Have problems socializing with others.

8. Attempts of ST in promoting parent-child communication about the past as contribution to the peace building process
Uniting families in conflict
Empowering parents and children in constructive communication
Giving children the opportunity to share among themselves about what happened in Rwanda and share their sufferings
Collaborative decision making in the family (husband, wife and children)
Modulated disclosure of parents’ experience to the second generation

9. Case studies of parent-child communication
“I benefited from knowing the history of my family. I learned a lot and hated the genocide and conflicts. Knowing that my parents were victims of genocide, I hate violence. I think I cannot venture in such feelings of being in conflict with people. I also, due to my conditions of life, decided to work hard and leave my isolation, it made me stronger to face my future knowing that I am alone and I have to prepare my own life.” (female, 22 years old)
“Our mother was most of the time isolated. She often told us when we caused anger to her that we will be like our father. She constantly reminded us what our father has done. After joining, she uses other ways to rebuke us. She is no longer reminding us of our father’s wrongdoings.” (female, 18 years old)

10. Community networking as contribution to peace-building
Raising level of civic participation (higher level of participation in commemoration, GoR activities like umuganda)
Mitigating reparation-related social issues in the post-gacaca context
Restoring the personal dignity and self-value of ST participants
Facilitating reintegration of ex-prisoners
Facilitating psychosocial healing processes of ex-gacaca judges

11. Community networking as contribution to peace-building
Prevention of the transmission of genocide ideology in the family context
Discovery of bodies, because people revealed this information in sociotherapy
People reporting themselves regarding their responsibility in genocide
Many cases of reconciliation between perpetrators and genocide survivors

12. Thank you - Murakoze