Newsflash March 2025 / I

March 2025 / I

International Women's Day

This year’s International Women’s Day is dedicated to theme “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment” by the UN. Restorative justice has immense potential to powerfully contribute to making these values realities for women and restore injustices women are impacted by. Not only by offering the chance for survivors of violence against women to regain their voice and agency by active participation and empowerment in a restorative justice process; but also by addressing structural issues that create inequality and violate the women’s fundamental rights on a societal level. To mark this day, read and share the testimonies of survivors who have participated in restorative justice processes and why it mattered for them, get inspired by the stories of women who became restorative justice advocates following their personal experience with restorative justice. Read our Newsletter issue on progressive initiatives from around the globe addressing sexual violence restoratively, and get inspired by the materials collected on the page of the Gender-Based Violence Working Group of EFRJ. Finally, do not miss the excellent article included in the Moment of Inspiration section of this Newsflash below!

Register for the International Seminar in Athens Now

Sign up now for the 13th International Seminar of the EFRJ in Athens and take advantage of the early bird deadline (available until March 28th). The event will focus on how restorative justice can support children on the move, including refugees and unaccompanied minors, while advocating for inclusion and dialogue. The plenaries will focus on child-friendly restorative justice, criminalisation of migration and solidarity, and how restorative justice values and principles matter for the subject. Check the details of the seminar's programme on our website, including the the names and biographies of plenary speakers on the event’s page. The local organising team has also prepared a collection of practical tips to help you plan your trip to Athens!

Read more & register

Ecological and Animal Restorative Justice in Action

Several members of the EFRJ will contribute to the event "Living Classrooms for Ecological and Animal Restorative Justice in Action" held in Spanish and English at the Centre Carlos Santamaria, Basque Institute of Criminology, (University of the Basque Country), between 28-29 April. The forthcoming book Green Criminology: Alternatives to Impunity and Punitivism in the Face of Bio-Socio-Ecological Damage will be presented. The meeting will conclude with a screening of the thought-provoking film SOS. San Onofre Syndrome, followed by a debate. The screening and the debate can be followed online. Attendance is free, and no registration is required. For more information contact Gema Varona.

Centre Carlos Santamaria

Three Restorative Justice Courses with Tim Chapman

Tim Chapman will lead three restorative justice courses in the upcoming weeks. The first one will be an essential skills course co-facilitated by Tania Nascimento at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland between 3rd April - 8th May. It consists of an online and in-person part. The second course titled "7 is a Magic Number!" offers a new approach to restorative justice principles and is based on an extensive research conducted in the past years. It will take place online and in London between between 20th March and 16th April. Finally, the third one is a skills training focusing on "Restorative Justice Practice that Addresses more Complex Harms and Requires more Sensitive Practices" also online and in-person in May and June. Follow the link below to read more about the first course, and and contact Tim to inquire about the second and the third training.

Essential Skills Course

Restorative Practice Facilitation Skills for Education Settings

Restorative Now organises a course restorative skills for people working in education. The course is composed of eleven 90 minutes long online modules taking place between 1st of May and 12th of June. It aims to provide participants an understanding of the context for the restorative approach and to equip them with the skills to build a healthy community within their setting so
that relationships are valued, conflict is reduced and learning capacity is enhanced. It will be led by Paul Aruliah. For further information please contact Restorative Now.

Contact Restorative Now

Save the dates!

2nd Restorative Trainers' Retreat

The 2nd Restorative Trainers' Retreat will take place in Greece from 17-20 May 2025 (exact location to be confirmed).
This gathering offers restorative justice trainers a dedicated space to enhance their skills, discuss challenges, share methodologies, and connect with peers. Stay tuned for more details: mark your calendar!

10th EFRJ Summer School

The 10th EFRJ Summer School will be held from 16-20 June 2025 in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain, focusing on restorative justice responses to harm in institutional settings.
Participants will engage in a week of theory, practice, and collaboration with practitioners, academics, and policymakers. The event will be held both in English and Spanish. Save the date: registrations open soon!
Meanwhile, have a look on how we are working to create a meaningful experience for you.

CJPE Summer Course

The 7th edition of the CJPE Summer Course will take place from 1-4 July 2025 in Barcelona, Spain!
This year’s course will explore innovative methods to support professionals in restorative justice, probation, and prison services.
Find out more about past editions and other CJPE events here. Mark the dates in your calendar!

How Can Restorative Justice Support Muslim women?

Zaynab Asghar, the manager at the Nottingham Muslim Women's Network explains in Why Me?'s video how restorative justice can support muslim women in her community. She shares how her own experience with hate crime has deepened her appreciation for restorative practices. Restorative justice fosters communication, enabling open and human-level conversations with people who may fear terrorism or hold misconceptions due to ignorance.

Watch the video

Moment of Inspiration

Preeti Jha is journalist dedicated to working long-story reporting that have the potential to explore subjects in depth. Her articles typically focus on marginalised communities, inequities and injustices that particularly affect women around the globe. She published in the largest English speaking journals around world from the BBC and The Washington Post to the English language edition of Al Jazeera.
In 2024 she dedicated months to explore restorative justice as a response to sexual violence against women and domestic violence. In her article she presents how the Scottish Government' progressive plans to support survivors' access to restorative justice services were halted by resistant voices of women's aid groups and other experts. She also explores through personal stories why restorative justice mattered for several survivors and how it was able to support them in changing their own narratives. The article brought complex questions about restorative justice and its potential to the readers of the Prospect Magazine where it appeared last November.

Read the article

In our newsflashes we share the most interesting and relevant updated about our work and collect information from our members and other individuals and/or organisations working in related fields. Information includes news, local activities, international events, publications, inspiring talks or projects, and much more, taking place in Europe and beyond. Please contact us if you have any comments or any news you would like us to share in our future editions. You can enjoy the previous editions of the EFRJ Newsflashes here. Feel free to forward them to friends or colleagues and invite them to sign up on the EFRJ website!

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