EFRJ - From Survivors to Survivors: Conversations on Restorative Justice in Cases of Sexual Violence

Posted on: 1st, July 2024

European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) has published ‘From Survivors to Survivors: Conversations on Restorative Justice in Cases of Sexual Violence’.

The publication shows why it is so important to do Restorative Justice in cases of sexual violence and be innovative. There are eight stories - two of which were facilitated by Restorative Solutions.

You can read the EFRJ publication here.

The below excerpts are taken from the publication:

Why this collection of conversations? 

“There is a significant body of research about restorative justice and sexual harm and those in academia and in practice can access this information. However, we (editors) identified that there was a gap in resources that spoke to survivors of sexual harm about restorative justice directly. There is a lot of material talking “about” victims / survivors, but nothing that speaks directly from and to victims / survivors of sexual harm.”

“The aim of this publication is to give a voice to victims / survivors of sexual harm who have taken part in restorative justice and let them speak about the experience in their own words. As far as we know, this will be the first resource of its kind. We hope that this publication may act as a form of “peer support” to other victims / survivors who are considering engaging in a restorative justice process. This will give them an opportunity to read about others’ experiences, to gain a better understanding of restorative justice and to decide whether it might be right for them and / or something to consider (or not).”

“For these reasons, we thought that a conversational format was the most appropriate to capture the testimonies. We also believe that this publication will serve to gain an understanding of the variety of restorative justice practices across Europe and to examine different ways of practising it. Thus, it will be helpful to restorative justice practitioners and policymakers, as it will give an insight into good practice 14 151.3 How to read these conversations? and different ways of approaching restorative justice in different jurisdictions and with different methodologies.”

DISCLAIMER:

“Reading these testimonies may not be an easy journey for our readers. The lived experiences of the victims / survivors interviewed often include complex stories of harm and violence, and also of resilience and empowerment. We advise readers to take care of themselves and, if these stories result in some personal triggers, to rely on the help of their networks and / or local professionals. In the resource kit (p. 51) you will find some contact details.”