Stitching as Reparation

This chapter examines the possibilities and limitations of alternative forms of justice and their temporal dimensions by analyzing victim participation in Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), established following the 2016 Peace Agreement between the government and the former FARC guerrilla. It focuses on transitional justice mechanisms, particularly symbolic acts aimed at acknowledging and compensating victims of internal armed conflict. These acts serve a triple purpose: delivering justice for past harms, fostering reconciliation in the present, and envisioning a renewed national future. While reparations often take conventional forms such as financial compensation or property restitution, this chapter centers on alternative modes of healing. It explores symbolic gestures of forgiveness and, notably, the practice of sewing and embroidery as a means of storytelling, reconciliation, and atonement. Through these expressions, victims engage in processes that transcend legal frameworks.