Understand and address concerns about mediation and restorative justice

The UN Handbook for Legislation on Violence Against Women recommends that laws prohibit mediation in cases of violence against women. Nevertheless, mediation is used in many cases of violence against women in countries around the world. Mediation can be extremely problematic and indeed dangerous in cases of violence against women, because it is predicated on parties with equal negotiating power, which is often not the case in situations of violence against women and girls. Similar concerns apply to the use of restorative practices, which can minimize the effect that violence has in women’s lives, can perpetuate discrimination, and can risk women and girls giving up their individual rights so as to preserve harmony within a social group.