Following the conflict in Siera Leone, Sierra Leoneans “yearned to know and understand what happened during the conflict. They wish to have their suffering acknowledged or their wrongs forgiven; to identify those who were behind the atrocities; to locate causes and explanations as to "why"; and to resolve with a unified voice that it should never occur again.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was the mechanism chosen and supported by all parties to lead the process of transition in Sierra Leone. The TRC"s slogan represents the two-pillared approach at the heart of this transitional process: "truth for understanding; reconciliation for our future."

The final report of the Sierra Leone TRC was handed over to President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah on 5 October 2004. The report offered findings on critical areas: the causes of the war; the nature and extent of violations; and the questions of whether the violations resulted from deliberate planning or authorisation and if so by whom. It presents a story of the armed conflict, rooted in the grave failings of governance by successive regimes and other historical antecedents.

Retaining a victim-centred approach, the report aims to give special attention to the experiences of women, youths and children. The Sierra Leone TRC became the first truth commission to publish a child-friendly version of its report, which was produced in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Children's Forum Network.

Finally, the report contains recommendations to the Government, designed to build a society based on the values of human dignity, tolerance and respect for human rights. The Commission also crafted a programme of reparations for victims of the conflict and developed a project called the National Vision for Sierra Leone.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission advocated the widest possible dissemination for the information contained in its report, along with its findings and recommendations. The report is envisioned as a legacy of the TRC, which can constitute a component of educational curricula, a powerful advocacy tool and a blueprint for reform and development. They considered it vital that the report be conveyed to a broad variety of audiences, using as many different media as possible. According to them, the report should also be made available in the form of popular versions, summaries, and resources in local languages.

The Commission appreciated that one of the most effective means of reaching large numbers of Sierra Leoneans would be to create a film that could be shown in communities across the country. The Sierra Leone TRC therefore invited WITNESS to produce an official video accompaniment to the truth commission's report.

In November and December 2003, WITNESS worked in Freetown in collaboration with the staff of the TRC to construct a narrative of the Commission’s main findings and recommendations. WITNESS interspersed this narrative with footage from the conflict and testimonies from an array of TRC public hearings, lending a voice to the courageous Sierra Leoneans who talked about their experiences and gave their insights as to what took place in their country.

"Witness to Truth" is available in both English and Krio, the most popularly spoken language in Sierra Leone. The video forms an integral part of the outreach campaign around the distribution of the TRC report. Locally-based NGOs are implementing a variety of dissemination and public education projects using the video, beginning in November 2004.

Conflict, Rights.

The recent past of Sierra Leone is "a story of inept and corrupt government over several decades. It represents the suppression of fundamental human rights and the marginalisation of the young and the poor. It speaks of the eventual, inevitable outbreak of hostilities in 1991, followed by a complex, eleven-year conflict that unleashed unprecedented brutality against the civilian population. It is a sombre and shameful tale of a nation that essentially self-destructed.

Although the war in Sierra Leone is now over, the country has been left scarred, embittered, traumatised and yet further impoverished. Hundreds of thousands suffered rape, mutilation, torture and the killings of their family members. Millions were looted and displaced from their homes.

In the post-war phase it became clear that large numbers of those who belonged to the warring factions had in fact been abducted and held involuntarily. Many of these captives, especially children, were egregiously abused: boys were drugged, armed and ordered to carry out horrifying acts on civilian communities; girls were raped, sexually abused and forced into servitude as 'bush wives'.

Over the years, as attacks had intensified and spread into every corner of the country, the conflict also became a vehicle for the bearing out of personal grudges and vendettas. The overwhelming majority of atrocities were committed by Sierra Leoneans against Sierra Leoneans. Individually and collectively, the people were denied their humanity.

Thus the challenges of physical and psychological recovery, reintegration and national healing were added to the woes of what was already one of the world’s least developed countries."