A functioning Office on Missing Persons (OMP) was established to address long term injustices faced by families of the disappeared. Due to dismal feedback, review meetings were conducted to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of OMP services received by victims’ families. To respond to these issues, CapT was introduced as an initiative to improve the capacity of OMP staff, grant closure to families of missing loved ones, endow family’s interim compensation until a final verdict is determined, and ensure that they are included in the post war transition process.
During this 11-month initiative, workshops discussing pluralism and transitional justice, training for central government administrators, and empathy building engagements were implemented. Participants were given theoretical and practical knowledge on pluralism, transitional justice, psychosocial support, active listening, nonviolent communication, the OMP Act, and the assimilation of all these concepts to real life situations. Additionally, participants were taught to adopt diplomacy when handling all cases. Facilitated by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CLFI), training programmes were held in Batticaloa, Colombo, Jaffna, Matara, and Mannar.
The training programmes in CapT hope to change the perception of the OMP service delivery cycle. Engaging with affected families and OMP staff has shown that commitment by top leadership, psychosocial support, improved coordination with related departments, uniform procedures and practices, and building trust have the potential for positive change.