Outreach Evaluation: The International Criminal Court in the Central African Republic

Public information and outreach have emerged as one of the fundamental activities of transitional justice mechanisms. Their objective is to raise public awareness, knowledge and participation among affected communities. Despite this increased focus, understanding of the role, impact and effectiveness of various outreach strategies remains limited, as is understanding of communities’ knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about transitional justice mechanisms, including their expectations. The study discussed in this article was designed to evaluate International Criminal Court (ICC) outreach programs in the Central African Republic. Specifically, the article examines how the public gathers information about the ICC and what factors influence knowledge levels and perceptions in relation to the Court. The findings show that mass media and informational meetings are effective at raising awareness and knowledge, but that the lack of access to formal media and reliance on informal channels of communication create a group of ‘information poor’ individuals. The authors suggest that outreach must be local in order to respond to individuals’ needs and expectations and to ensure their access to information. Evaluation research must be implemented systematically and on a continuing basis to assess how best to reach various target groups and develop innovative, responsive and flexible communication strategies. ∗ Director, Initiative for Vulnerable Populations, Human Rights Center, School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Adjunct Associate Professor, Payson Center, School of Law, Tulane University, USA. Email: [email protected] † Director of Research, Human Rights Center, School of Law, and Visiting Professor, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Adjunct Associate Professor, Payson Center, School of Law, Tulane University, USA. Email: [email protected] 1 This study was supported by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and from Humanity United. The funding organizations played no role in the design and conduct of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, or the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript. We are grateful to all of the survey respondents, interviewers and supervisors. Neil Hendrick supported data collection. Fabienne Chassagneux, Gervais Opportun Bodagay, Claudia Perdomo and Caroline Maurel at the Press, Information and Documentation Section of the ICC provided important information about the work of the outreach unit in CAR. Roger Sherwin of Tulane University and Jennie Sherwin and Alexander Truong of Johns Hopkins University provided editorial comments on the manuscript. C © The Author (2010). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email [email protected]. by gest on A uust 8, 2012 http://ijtjrdjournals.org/ D ow nladed from 2 P. Vinck and P. N. Pham