ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the discussion on victims needs in and experiences of mediation through focusing on mediation in cases of partner violence in Finland, based on the research carried out in the context of the Victims and restorative justice project. The chapter introduces the victim's views into the polarized discussion. It sheds light on questions such as why victims of partner violence agree to mediation, how they experience the procedure and what they think about the end result and effects of mediation. The Act on Mediation in Criminal and certain Civil Cases came into force in 2006, about 20 years after the mediation movement had first sparked off in Finland. The three categories formed in the analysis are intimate terrorism, incipient cycle of violence and reciprocal partner violence. The main organization to support victims of crime is Victim Support Finland, but also other non-governmental organization (NGOs) offer support services for victims of crime.
