Transitions from war to peace hold potential to transform gender relations. This paper sets out to examine how transitional justice mechanisms may challenge or entrench gender power relations in societies emerging from violent conflicts. It contends that a transformation of gendered relations of power is central to addressing human rights and the needs of local populations affected by conflict processes. More specifically, the paper analyses the testimonials of female and male witnesses in Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), a mechanism established in 2010 to map atrocities during the war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government. What stories do the women relate, are they agents of change and are they protected or stigmatized? How are gender power relations reflected in the discourse? Who is included and excluded? Who is absent/present, silenced/given voice? The testimonies provide a rich source to capture several aspects of gender power relations in relation to issues of peace and conflict and how they are reflected in the Sri Lankan context.
