—JakeWinston

A genocidal crisis, such as the one in Guatemala in the second half of the 20th century, inflicts insurmountable damage on the collective memory of the victims.

There is little help found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) when it comes to remembering the victims. The discrepancy between the mention of ensuring that stories are passed on to others in the declaration and the actual need for victims of human rights abuses to feel heard and have a space in the national identity is vast. Where the UDHR falters, restorative justice can provide a space and means of promoting the survival of a narrative. It all comes down to tackling individuals’ beliefs about the victims and changing social structures which perpetuate harm, even after change in perspectives and culture have occurred.