A Year in Review 2022-2023
Synergy for Justice has been growing steadily over the past year as we continue to expand partnerships, strengthen our programming, and explore new geographic areas where our models and expertise would positively impact local justice and accountability processes.
This year we continued to focus largely on the Syrian context, working with locally-led partners to (1) empower survivors of human rights violations to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure that they can access the support services they need to heal from their experiences so they can fully participate in society; and to (2) elevate the voices of women to lead transitional justice processes. Peace, democracy, and reconciliation cannot be achieved unless women’s experiences, leadership, and wisdom are fully incorporated into transitional justice efforts.
As a longtime UK partner, Synergy was invited to showcase its work at the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) conference in London, specifically how the medical documentation of torture and sexual violence cases contributes to accountability for perpetrators and justice for survivors. Through a moot court exercise, Synergy and longtime partner Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights demonstrated the impact of medical expert evidence and how it can be used to provide alternative sources of evidence and reduce reliance on survivor testimony which often results in retraumatisation and/or revictimisation of survivors. We also highlighted the importance of dedicated commitment to local actors and the positive impacts that survivors experience after their cases have been documented.
At the global level, we completed the first draft of a comprehensive Stigma Toolkit that provides a roadmap for recognising and understanding the effects of stigma across the justice spectrum. Justice systems that meet survivor-centric and trauma-informed standards will prosecute more cases and convict more perpetrators, reducing impunity. We are now preparing to pilot the Toolkit in various contexts.
Operationally, we expanded our board by adding three dynamic women leaders from Human Rights Watch, the International Commission on Missing Persons, and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute. The bios of all board members are available on our website. We also strengthened our communications strategy, expanded our social media presence, and started sending e-newsletters and posting regular blogs to share our knowledge and experience with others in the field as well as anyone curious about justice and accountability.
In February, we watched with horror as the earthquakes that hit Syria and Turkey, where our partners work and live, destroyed their homes, their offices, and forced their displacement. With the support of our donors, we were able to provide financial, psychological, and moral support to our partner staff. We thank all of you who donated to Synergy over the past year, especially those who donated to our earthquake campaign. All donations made to Synergy in February and March assisted our local partners impacted by the earthquakes.