Redress

Redress refers to a remedy or compensation for a wrong, grievance, or injury. As a noun, it denotes a remedy that corrects an imbalance or redresses a harm; as a verb, it means to set right or compensate. The term derives from Old French redresser, from re- “back” + dresser “to set straight.”

In domestic law, redress is pursued through legal or administrative remedies. Remedies may include monetary damages, restitution of property, or injunctions; other forms include specific performance and other equitable relief. Restitution aims to restore the claimant to the position they occupied before the wrong, while damages seek compensation for loss or harm. The term is often used to describe the overall process of correcting a grievance, whether through court action, administrative decisions, or negotiated settlements.

In human rights and international law, redress encompasses measures to repair harms suffered by individuals or communities. Reparations may take multiple forms, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, guarantees of non-repetition, and satisfaction or apologies. Truth-seeking processes, institutional reforms, and guarantees against future abuses frequently accompany reparations, particularly after mass injustices or conflicts.

Mechanisms for redress include courts and tribunals, administrative agencies, ombudspersons, and commissions (such as truth commissions) that investigate grievances and authorize remedies. Private avenues such as mediation and restorative justice programs offer non-litigation paths to redress. Access to redress is influenced by jurisdiction, evidentiary requirements, and resource constraints, and debates often address the adequacy, fairness, and effectiveness of redress schemes in responding to harms witnessed by individuals and communities.