Participants could eventually speak up even of long-suppressed trauma in both workshops in the suburbs of Mataniko on 1-5 August 2022 and Kakabona on 5-9 September 2022. A total of 60 survivors and community members, comprising 10 men and 40 women, attended two trauma healing workshops organised by SITHA, The NGO had earlier trained dozens of caregivers in the necessary skills to identify and help people with trauma.
Women have cited physical and psychological pain from sexual violence before and after the “ethnic tensions”, not only by rival ethnic group members, but also from within the family. The safe space of the trauma-healing workshops became a crucial part of preparations for the following PAR activities involving survivors. Participants reflected the high need for trauma healing, but large-scale workshops for all communities affected directly and indirectly by the “Tensions” or “Troubles”, as they were known, are beyond the resources of NGOs. Because of this, the implementation of TRC Recommendations becomes crucial for the healing process of survivor in Solomon Island. The TRC recommended that a Commission should be established by law with a mandate to strengthen national reconciliation. The Commission’s work would involve developing a Comprehensive Reparations Plan. The Plan would include programs focused on compiling a national register of victims of the conflict and formulating programs to help repair the lives of those victims. The recommendations also included substantial areas of reform that should be undertaken to avoid the recurrence of conflict and mass violations.