Trauma, an emotional, physiological, and psychological response related to an event or series of incidents as harmful and/or life-threatening, or beyond the scope of one’s ability to cope, is insidious, widespread, and disruptive (Conti, 2022). Traumatic incidents, including experiences of interpersonal and sexual violence, human trafficking, adverse childhood experiences, war, and identity-based oppression, including violence, can be experienced both directly and vicariously, and responses can be both acute and long-lasting, discrete and complex.
Restitution is important for healing, recovery, and post-traumatic growth and necessitates three foundational elements: 1) acknowledgment and apology for harm committed; 2) material redress for the harm; and 3) closure through mutual understanding between the accountable party and the beneficiary of restitution (Darity & Mullen, 2020). Offering restitution to survivors of trauma is of paramount importance as it acknowledges the profound impact of their experiences and aims to address the harm inflicted upon them.
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