A/HRC/30/42 victimization, to account for the very complex ways in which violations affect the lives of individuals and of communities, especially over time. Furthermore, some artistic media provide space for victims to articulate their experiences and even, emphasizing the interventions’ enabling potential, to try out new identities, including the identity of a rights claimant. C. Archives 96. Archives containing records of mass violations can contribute to prevention. Access to well-preserved and protected archives is an educational tool against denial and revisionism, ensuring that future generations have access to primary sources, which is of direct relevance to history teaching. One notable example in this regard are the Stasi files opened up by Germany after 1989. Opening files contributes directly to the process of societal reform. 97. However, there is a lack of consistency in the disp osition of archives of transitional justice mechanisms, including truth commissions. 55 To address this gap, as a first step and as a result of a series of consultations with experts, the Special Rapporteur developed a set of general recommendations that builds on the right to know. This set of general recommendations (see annex) is meant to provide guidance for truth commissions and other relevant stakeholders in their future archival work. D. Trauma counselling and psychosocial support 98. Psychosocial support or trauma counselling has been rather marginally identified as a component of a comprehensive strategy of non -recurrence. Gross violations are likely to lead to health problems, 56 implying troubles for individuals and society, which call for adjustments on a more fundamental psychological level. Challenges may include identity problems for individuals and society, which hamper the transformation of societies. Moreover, unaddressed specific traumatic events may lock countries in repeated cycles of violence. 99. Post-authoritarian and/or post-conflict settings face low levels of trust both vertically — between the State and its people — and horizontally — between individuals and between communities. However, trust is the foundation for the development of a rule of law culture, an environment that fosters reconciliation and a necessary precondition for effective communication between the victims and the authorities, as well as within society. 100. Where structural abuse or recurrent patterns of violence and unresolved trauma intersect, high levels of conflict and further violence are likely to develop. Furthermore, amid high levels of inequality, poverty and unemployment, where people’s sense of dignity and self-worth are severely compromised on a daily basis, violent behaviour can become a simple means of taking back the control people are denied in their life. 101. Trauma counselling can be used to overcome and transform victim/perpetrator identities, as an important step towards reaching a conclusion. For the victim, this 55 56 22 Ibid. For example, for Peru, see Lisa J. Laplante, “Linking Peacebuilding and health in post-conflict settings”, available from www.frient.de/publikationen/dokumente/library/linking-peacebuilding-andhealth-in-post-conflict-settings.html.

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