Restorative justice responses to sexual harm

This is a recording of our Law Week event which occurred on Monday 17 May 2021. A panel discussion of RJ practitioners and experts exploring how RJ responds to the needs of people impacted by sexual harm.

The criminal justice system’s response to sexual harm fails most victim/survivors. Reports of victim/survivors’ experiences in workplaces, homes and in public indicate that a single, criminal justice response to this pervasive behaviour will not meet many victim/survivors concepts of justice. We need a range of responses to address the justice gap experienced by victim/survivors of sexual harm.

Restorative justice can offer processes that meet the unmet justice needs of victim/survivors in ways that don’t perpetuate further harm. In this discussion, practitioners and experts from the Centre for Innovative Justice’s restorative justice arm, Open Circle, along with experts from Transforming Justice Australia and accountability specialists will explore the challenges, opportunities and necessary safeguards in approaching this work.

Featuring panelists from the Centre for Innovative Justice and Transforming Justice Australia.

Open Circle is a restorative justice service within the Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) at RMIT University. Open Circle brings people together to collectively acknowledge and respond to experiences of harm and undertakes research, policy and program design work in the area of restorative justice and restorative practice.

Transforming Justice Australia is a collaboration between Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre and Associate Professor Jane Bolitho, Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice | Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand.