Based on the first-ever dataset on Truth Commissions and Conflict Related Sexual Violence, which contains detailed data on 38 truth commissions in Africa and Latin America operating over a period of half a century (1973-2024), this paper interrogates the nexus between the growing international concern with conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and the propensity of truth commissions to address these kinds of harms. Our research empirically confirms that truth commissions established after the millennium are more likely to address CRSV than those established earlier, signaling the importance of particularly the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Second, we find that even though truth commissions often arereluctant to address CRSV in their mandates, many nevertheless deal with CRSV in their operations and findings. Third, only one third of the truth commissions included in our dataset have dealt with CRSV systematically throughout all four phases of their work, and only very few have made recommendations aimed to repair this harm or prevent CRSV from happening again. Finally, we find interesting regional differences: the truth commissions that have most systematically addressed CRSV are all in Africa.
