A critical reflection on the preventive approach to transitional justice in the face of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Abstract
This paper makes a critical reflection on the transitional justice strategies implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the so-called First Congo War to the present. Specifically, this work calls into question the preventive approach that is predicted to establish transitional justice mechanisms in the country. Thus, it identifies successes and errors in the functioning of the so-called transitional justice mechanisms to put an end to sexual violence, considered endemic in the country and which has intensified in the current armed conflict that is being waged in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between the M23 armed group - with the support of the Rwandan armed forces - and the Congolese army.
Received: 15 May 2025; Accepted: 01 December 2025
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