A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

with others who volunteered to participate. The forms initially used mirrored very closely
the forms used in Liberia. During the pilot testing, it became clear that diaspora Liberians
viewed questions about their tribal/ethnic identity as a political issue. Although this question
was included in the final statement taking forms, statement takers made clear to statement
givers that they could choose not to respond if they wished. Moreover, pilot testing revealed
that Liberians in the United States had concerns about discussing the number and status of
their children, possibly owing to immigration concerns. After much negative feedback, this
question was deleted from the final forms used in the diaspora.
5. Combatants who remained in refugee camps were more willing to participate in
the statement giving process than were combatants who had been resettled in the
United States. Almost no former combatants came forward to provide statements to the
TRC in the United States or in the United Kingdom. In contrast, former combatants made
up an important part of the statement giver pool in the Buduburam refugee settlement.
Given the immigration policy climate in the United States in particular, this discrepancy is
not surprising. Admitted participation in an armed rebel group is an admission that can have
serious immigration consequences for resettled refugees and other non-citizens. Admitted
participation as a combatant can have consequences for refugees in the West African subregion
as well; thus, immigration consequences alone cannot explain this difference. Former
combatants in the United States and United Kingdom chose not to take advantage of the
anonymous statement option. Ultimately, this difference may be attributable to the feasibility
of targeted outreach. Whereas in Ghana, former combatants – child soldiers in particular –
have formed their own support organization and are a readily identifiable group, no similar
support network has been established in the United States. When community members were
asked to assist with identifying former combatants who might want to participate in the TRC
process, there was extreme reluctance to do so.
Public Hearings
1. Witnesses who participated in the public hearings process reported it as a positive
experience. While retraumatization is a major concern in TRC public hearings, witnesses who
participated in the Diaspora Public Hearings did not report such retraumatization. Telephone
follow-up was conducted with each witness in the weeks following the public hearings, and
feedback was unexpectedly positive. Some witnesses did, however, express concern that they
were unable to fully discuss all the topics they would have liked because of a lack of time.
Others expressed frustration that certain questions were not explored with other witnesses.
Using Pro bono Resources to Support the TRC in the Diaspora
2. Leveraging pro bono resources was a largely successful model to create a labor force
for a TRC in the diaspora, in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Non
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Appendix G