Thematic Areas of the Platform
Restorative Justice
Approaches to Obstetric Violence
This section presents a selection of texts written by members of the IPOV – Respectful Care project team, exploring how restorative justice can serve as an ethical and transformative approach to address obstetric violence.
Within the IPOV framework, restorative justice is not understood as a replacement for legal accountability, but as a complementary path toward recognition, reparation, and collective learning. The writings gathered here examine its institutional, emotional, and symbolic dimensions—emphasizing the need for safe spaces, adequate timing, and professional training to ensure meaningful and non-punitive forms of repair.
Drawing on interdisciplinary research and field experiences, these reflections highlight how restorative justice opens new possibilities for dialogue between women, families, and healthcare teams, helping rebuild trust and promote a culture of care grounded in empathy, ethics, and respect.
Each text contributes to an evolving conversation on how healthcare systems can move beyond punitive paradigms toward more humanized, participatory, and reparative models of perinatal care.
Coordinators of this section
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Our selection of texts written by IPOV professionals:
This section brings together a selection of texts written by professionals participating in the IPOV – Respectful Care project, focusing on restorative justice approaches to obstetric violence.
Through interdisciplinary perspectives and experiences across different regional contexts, these writings explore how restorative frameworks can help acknowledge harm, support healing, rebuild trust, and foster accountability in maternity care.
Rather than presenting restorative justice as a single model, the authors invite readers to see it as a set of context-sensitive practices and principles — centered on the needs and voices of those affected, dialogue where appropriate, and the transformation of relationships and institutions to prevent further harm and strengthen respectful, rights-based care.
Obstetric violence and the judicialisation of maternal health rights violations in Mexico
Salud mental perinatal y violencia obstétrica: tensiones, impactos y horizontes reparadores
Restorative Justice in Childbirth
