This research examines how families of the disappeared in Colombia and Mexico conduct their own searches when authorities fail. Using ethnography and legal analysis, it highlights their role as investigators and advocates. The work aims to improve policy, challenge marginalisation, and recognise families’ critical role in uncovering truth and justice.

This research examines why Australian truth commissions consistently fail, focusing on deep mismatches between First Nations concepts of justice and Western institutional frameworks. Through interviews with Indigenous community members and past commissioners, the study identifies what First Australians want from truth processes, aiming to design future commissions that governments genuinely support and implement.