Projects
TJWG operates four primary projects
Mapping Crimes against Humanity in North Korea
TJWG’s first two years of activities have included the development of a digital mapping system to document and visualise evidence of possible crimes against humanity in North Korea, to support the ongoing international effort to hold perpetrators accountable, and to bring victims’ needs and rights to mainstream awareness. The database and mapping system under development securely collects information on alleged mass graves and killing sites, to be visualised in the form of digital maps. The data we collect also includes locations of national security offices, local police and military units where documentary evidence may be stored. The creation of these multifunctional maps gives a strong signal to past and current human rights abusers in the target country, thereby maximising the impact of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea (2014). The preparatory work of locating these sites is crucial in preventing blanket amnesty for alleged perpetrators, and in quickly securing forensic and documentary evidence in the future for investigations and trials of individuals charged with serious human rights violations. Learn more
Civil Society Central Repository for Missing Persons
TJWG in consortium with Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human rights (NKHR) is in the early stages of creating a central repository of cases of enforced disappearances perpetrated by North Korean authorities. The repository will house data on individual cases, including supporting documentation and qualitative data, with a view towards increased and more effective advocacy, accountability through prosecution, and identifying potential recipients of reparations programs. Learn more
Access Accountability
Access Accountability is an initiative of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) based in Seoul, South Korea. Access Accountability arose from TJWG’s experience as a start-up NGO seeking resources and expertise to guide the development of our structure, projects and systems. We provide training and resources for human rights documentation groups globally by identifying areas of need and matching them with the expertise required to achieve their goals. Our aim is to assist groups involved in monitoring and documenting human rights abuses in any region, but particularly those who may be looking ahead to a transitional justice process in their local context. Learn more
Complementary Research
TJWG conducts complementary research regarding defector attitudes toward a range of transitional justice-related issues. Learn more