The way in which restorative mediation can help is different for everyone. Often times the mediation can help participants to process the event and move on from it. Here, you can read about their experiences.
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Ilonka: “I was able to tell my story, I was in control.”Twelve years after athlete Ilonka was raped by her trainer, she met up with him again. A mediator from Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling guided the meeting. “The roles were reversed now. I was able to tell my story, I was in control, and that was a good thing for me.”
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A conversation with the offender: “I’m here to get closure.”E. was sexually abused as a child by a family friend. 35 years later, he meets with him. “I’m here to get closure.”
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Gwen: “I’m no longer afraid of the perpetrator.”Gwen was robbed in her home and threatened with a knife. After the perpetrator was arrested, Gwen got a call from a mediator from Perspectief. The perpetrator wanted to talk with her. Together with the mediator, Gwen visited him in the youth prison.
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Hans: “The conversation was very insightful”Hans had an unfortunate fall. During the first diagnosis at the hospital, he’s told he hasn’t broken anything. Later that evening he hears that he has a spinal fracture.
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Pleasantly surprisedFrans is in Leeuwarden prison for assault and making threats. He’ll be getting out soon. Not that long ago, he spoke to a mediator from Perspectief at a reintegration market. He took a folder, which skimmed once. Could this be something for him?
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Ata: “I want to do everything I can to make it right.”Already during his prison sentence, Ata wanted to apologize to the victims of the fire he started in asylum seekers center. After he got out, a probation worker applied for him at Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling. What followed was a special conversation between victim and offender.
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Els talks to her brother’s murdererAfter her brother Fred is killed by his partner, Els feels the need to get in contact with the perpetrator. Through Perspectief, Els talks to him in prison. From that moment, Els knows that forgiveness is the way to go for her.
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Daphne was stabbed by her ex: “I’ve only now started to be angry”Almost seven years ago, Daphne’s ex-partner stabbed her. In the Magazine for Restorative Justice (Tijdschrift voor Herstelrecht) in an issue themed around forgiveness, Daphne talks about her process. “I’ve only now started to be angry. And I like it.”
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Melissa talked to the robber in prisonAfter Melissa was involved in a robbery at a supermarket, the perpetrator asked to get in contact with her through Perspectief. A few weeks later, Melissa can look the robber in the eyes. “There was a completely different man in front of me.”