The perspectives of survivors have informed the development of the exhibit through the contributions of their stories and their artistic representations. Original drawings by former female abductees depict life in captivity and help the audience understand survivors' experiences and their needs now. The drawings also support survivors in their storytelling. The exhibit and its associated events support survivors' leadership in defining what justice means to them and what reparations entail.

“So there were several issues that were affecting them [survivors] like health issues; socially they were not accepted; economically they had issues. That’s why today I like to say that in terms of justice, according to my analysis and interactions with those affected by war—who I represent here today—justice to the women I represent is dealing with their needs.” - Grace Acan, 2019, CMHR event

The term “justice” can have a broad range of meanings for different people, and in the different contexts it is used. In a legal context, the meaning of justice is associated with going to court and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. While the legal justice process is necessary for facilitating further conversation on issues of war, legal storytelling does not always serve survivors.

For survivors of conjugal slavery in war, “justice” is given a more holistic meaning. Ododo Wa and its traveling exhibit create a platform where survivors’ can share what justice means to them. By opening up conversations on the meaning of justice for survivors and their communities, consensus can be built about what holistic survivor-centred justice and reparations entail. Gender is a key dimension of survivors' experiences and needs. Acan and Amony speak to  justice as more than going to court and show that real justice requires conversations about what happened during the war, it’s long-lasting effects and gendered dimensions, as well as survivors’ needs. 

Transitional justice efforts have begun to take place in Uganda. However, for survivors, there are many barriers to access justice that limit their ability to speak about what justice means to them or to contribute to the conversation, including, for example, the social stigma they face. Women and girl abductees caught in the crossfire between government and rebel forces experience forced marriage, forced pregnancy, forced birth, forced motherhood, and other types of forced labour associated with social reproduction in a conflict zone. For survivors to participate in conversations about justice, survivor-centred spaces, with childcare, healthcare and economic supports, must be established, protected, and continuously fostered. Further, while consensus building is important, survivors’ gender-specific needs vary based on their own contexts. Therefore, survivor-centred justice refers to addressing the different needs of survivors, even if that may vary from person to person. And, as Acan argues, holistic survivor-centred justice is urgent; “we [survivors] would like to see transitional justice implemented while we’re still alive.” Survivors’ advocacy efforts, and their calls for reparations, including access to education, healthcare, food and water, and other vital resources, must be treated as urgent and benefit them directly. 

A holistic meaning of gender justice is showcased through the exhibit and its associated conversations. Curatorial decisions, such as incorporating drawings and collaborating in choosing which artifacts to showcase, are part of the justice-making processes of the exhibit.


By incorporating these artefacts and drawings, the focus is shifted away from the violence of the war, and toward the perspective and experiences of women and girls. This exhibit empowers survivors and foregrounds their agency, strength, and resilience as well as their efforts to access justice. 

By emphasizing their lived experiences and strategies for survival, the exhibit raises the question for audiences: what do survivors need now? This approach to justice also played a pivotal role in the decision to take a collaborative and survivor-centred approach to the exhibit’s development in order to amplify survivors’ knowledge and authority. Justice, and avenues for justice, were also reflected through curatorial decisions that focused on women's and girls' agency rather than focusing on the horror and the violence of the war.

Read Grace Acan and Evelyn Amon's reflection about presenting the traveling exhibit in Uganda.