13th international seminar of the EFRJ

The 13th International Seminar of the European Forum for Restorative Justice (Athens, 16-17 May 2025) will focus on the transformative potential of restorative justice to address the vulnerabilities faced by children on the move. From refugees and asylum seekers to those displaced by climate change, these children face heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and discrimination. By drawing on the metaphor of an 'odyssey,' this seminar will explore how restorative practices can create pathways of inclusion, resilience, and empowerment for children on the move while fostering dialogue with host communities. They recently launched a call for workshops proposals (deadline 27 January) to involve participants in the programme of the event, but they also plan some plenary sessions that can inform and inspire our audience (about 150 participants are expected). They organise the seminar in the Department of Social Work of the University of West Attica, in cooperation with local EFR members, thanks to the financial support of the Justice Programme of the European Commission.
The EFRJ is an international network organisation, born in 2000 within the walls of the Institute of Criminology of the University of Leuven (Belgium). The network originated from the need to transform punitive-oriented justice systems into more human responses to justice and security in our societies. The EFRJ brings together almost 300 restorative justice experts (e.g. academics, practitioners, policymakers, students, activists) from about 45 countries. Thanks to this multidisciplinary and international network, coordinated in expert working groups, we lead a series of activities to further advance the restorative justice field (e.g. training, awareness raising, policy work, practice development, international cooperation). Almost 25 years later, the network still focuses on criminal justice, but it also explores other areas of application for restorative justice (e.g. families, communities, schools). In the past years we started to investigate the potential of restorative justice with specific vulnerable groups, in intercultural conflicts, hate and polarisation, systemic violence and cases of large scale victimisation. For this reason our upcoming international seminar will be the platform to explore how restorative justice and restorative practices can support the arrival and integration of children transitioning into a new life in Europe.