Source: Image of Flag of South Africa, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_South_Africa.svg; Image of Flag of El Salvador, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg
Hi, I'm Julie Tietz, and welcome to Conflict Resolution-- Putting the Pieces Together. Today we're going to have a brief overview on some different global conflict resolution methods.
The conflict resolution field is a dynamic field where we're coming up with new process developments and are coming up with new ideas and more knowledge and expertise through research and real world practice in our specific techniques and methods. And because of this, we are finding or we have found that the use of traditional conflict resolution methods can be applied in contemporary settings.
So for example, in Hawaii, they're utilizing the traditional method of reconciliation and forgiveness of Ho'oponopono in their juvenile justice system as well as family group conferencing in order to find some other alternative means to the traditional justice system that will be useful and, at times, more helpful in resolving the situation.
Another example is in Cambodia where they're using the Somroh Somruel method that is being applied in neighborhood and village disputes. And this traditional method in Cambodia is very similar to village-scale conciliation. So where we're meeting with individuals or maybe even larger groups trying to get them to concede and work in a shuttle method to work and resolve the dispute at hand.
Another way in which we see conflict resolution methods throughout the globe is truth and reconciliation commissions. We see these types of conflict resolution processes formed to discover and reveal past wrongdoing that happened in a specific culture or country. And we are really looking at those systemic issues of conflict and discrimination.
And this could be from the government, the discrimination and conflict could be the government as one of the parties in the conflict, as well as, in some situations, non-state actors. And really, the commission is there to understand the past events of the conflict in order for the individuals and the parties involved to heal and try and move past those events.
Example is in South Africa, I think that's one of the most well-known and successful examples of truth and reconciliation commissions where we see individuals going through and reviewing and talking about past events that happened during Apartheid in South Africa and figuring out ways in which the parties who committed wrongdoings can try and repair the harm that has been done and whether or not they can be granted amnesty or if they're going to be convicted of the crime and serve some jail time, perhaps.
And another example, probably lesser known, is in El Salvador, and that was the Commission on the Truth for El Salvador. And they really looked at crimes that were committed during the civil war that happened there in the '90s.
Let's look at our key points on global conflict resolution methods. New processes in conflict resolution are constantly developing because it's a very dynamic field. And we have found that traditional methods of conflict resolution are really applicable in our contemporary settings and can be useful and perhaps more beneficial in some situations in resolving conflict.
We looked at the examples of the Ho'oponopono in Hawaii in the Somroh Somruel in Cambodia, as well as truth and reconciliation commissions-- there are examples of South Africa and El Salvador.
Here are your key terms before we go, feel free to pause and look at them closer. Thanks for taking the time out to view this. I hope that you learned something, and I can't wait to catch you again next time.