ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Truth commission

A truth commission is like a big team of people who want to figure out what happened in a really bad situation. Imagine if you and your friends got into a big fight, and everyone was telling different stories about what happened. That's kind of what a truth commission is trying to do, but on a much bigger scale.

Let's say that a country had a really hard time in the past, and people were being treated very unfairly. The truth commission wants to know what happened, and they want to hear from everyone who was involved. They might talk to people who were hurt or treated badly, as well as people who did the hurting. Everyone gets a chance to tell their story, and the commission listens carefully to what they say.

The important thing about a truth commission is that people are encouraged to tell the truth, even if it's really hard. Sometimes people might be scared to speak up because they're worried about getting in trouble or they're afraid of what other people might think. But in a truth commission, everyone is supposed to be honest, even if it makes them uncomfortable.

Once the truth commission has heard from everyone, they write a big report that tells the story of what happened. This report can be really important because it helps people understand what went wrong and why. It's kind of like figuring out what caused a problem so that it doesn't happen again in the future.

Overall, a truth commission is a way for people to come together and learn from their mistakes. It helps everyone involved to understand what happened, and it can be a step towards healing and moving forward.