whom 45 percent were female by 2015.250 However most APRM country reviews indicate a paucity of women adjudicators especially in the higher echelons of justice institutions.251 In the absence of effective transitional justice institutions, many countries have looked to alternative dispute resolutions as a means of restorative justice and reconciliation. Drawing on traditional conflict resolution methods was a theme of the Zanzibar Declaration, which stressed the need to harmonise conflict resolution with traditional African mediation strategies.252 The Palava hut system is widely known in Liberia as a forum in which parties to a dispute submit their case or grievance before elders or local leaders who strive to reach a reconciliatory and fair outcome with a view to promoting peace as a form of alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Seen as a predominantly patriarchal structure, there were fears that the palava hut could diminish the gravity of sexual violence offences,253 The example below of the Peace huts modelled along the palava hut demonstrate that women led mechanisms can genderise dispute processes with high value returns. Peace Huts of Liberia- new dimensions to timeless values In recognition of its value addition to formal justice systems, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia of 2009 recommended that the palava hut, a ‘peacebuilding mechanism’ be utilised to foster peace, reconciliation and healing, and it was integrated in Liberia’s Roadmap for National Healing, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation.254 From this model evolved the grassroot women centric Peace Huts which became a best practice; the Peace Hut Women of Liberia won the 2019 UN Population Award.255 250 ibid UNECA ‘Gender Equality and the APRM’ UNECA 2017 252 Zanzibar Declaration on Women and a Culture of Peace, adopted by a Pan-African conference in Zanzibar on 17-20 May 1999 253 M’Cormack ‘Prospects for Accessing Justice for Sexual Violence in Liberia’s Hybrid System’ : International Journal of Security & Development, 254 M’Cormack F ‘Final Research Report: Gender, transitional justice and justice sector reform in Liberia’ August 2017. Available at https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/56894/IDL56894.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y 255 UN Women ‘Statement: Peace Hut Women of Liberia wins 2019 UN Population Award’ June 20 2019. Available at https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2019/6/statement-ed-phumzile-peace-hut-women-ofliberia-wins-2019-un-population-award 251 86