Authors: Boutilier, S., & Wells, L.

Date: December 2018

The intention of writing this case and proposal is in response to the highly visible #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have provided an opportunity to think about processes for healing from sexual violence and social change. Sexual abusers and harassers are being called out, but where do they go? Where do the victims of sexual violence go if they do not want to pursue a traditional justice response? At Shift, we believe that we need to be working on strategies and initiatives that create hope, healing, and opportunities to transform gender relations and norms. We hope this case will inspire and rally key leaders in communities, government, advocacy, and justice to design, fund, pilot, and evaluate non-mandated programs outside of the criminal justice system. We call for a non-mandated model that integrates restorative, reparative, and transformative principles to respond to sexual violence. We believe that this approach has the potential to meet victims’ needs, rehabilitate offenders, address injustice, and prevent future acts of violence.