Memories can be repressed, though. In abuse situations, I would say from a combination of things: mainly, the abuse (for example, in a family setting) is treated as if it isn’t going on, and second, we all “forget” most of our lives.
The problem most people with trauma experience is not that they repress and cannot remember trauma, IT IS THAT THEY CAN NEVER FORGET AND IT INTRUDES ON ALL AREA OF THEIR LIVES. This is why “repressed memories “ is utter nonsense
Repression is a word which has entered the general discourse but for which there is no operational definition. People forget; they compartmentalize; they avoid thinking about painful things. But the impact of trauma on memory is more in the form of unwanted intrusions— trauma patients I have seen over the years wish to hell they could forget, but they can’t.