Challenges of the Truth Commissions to Deal with Injustice Against Indigenous Peoples

Truth commissions are still being created around the world in order to redress human rights violations, in accordance to the right of victims to an effective remedy and the right to know the truth to the fullest extent possible. As non-judicial official bodies, which investigate violent historical periods often silenced or denied, truth commissions recognize the dignity of the victims, and propose policies to prevent more violations from happening in the future. Further to that purpose, the recommendations of truth commissions generally seek to identify the causes of the violations, determining patterns of abuse and preventing recurrence.This paper examines some of the challenges that truth commissions face when addressing Indigenous Peoples’ issues, reflecting what measures have to be taken into account in order to establish truth commissions that respect the rights, perspectives and needs of Indigenous Peoples