Last week, the Estonian news agency Eesti Päevaleht publicised a very inspiring article on AREV, the Estonian project VSE participates in. The article explains the project’s initial focus on the Viru region and how it aims to expand its good practices across Estonia and other European countries.
Based on preliminary research and the project’s activities in these two Virumaa districts, AREV will identify the needs of victims, and professionals working in this field, including any opportunities for cooperation between the different agencies.
“It is necessary to find out why victims do not agree to their data being forwarded to the victim support services. They don’t quite understand, maybe it hasn’t been clearly explained to them what kind of help they can receive from these services. Very often, victims do not want anyone from their community to know what happened to them,” said Gardi Anderson, chief prosecutor of the Viru District Prosecutor’s Office.
Through working with various stakeholders, AREV focuses on facilitating cooperation and improving the referral system, to ensure that victims will not suffer secondary victimisation.
Finally, the project also aspires to set an example for the rest of Europe: “We hope that, if successful, we can replicate this model in the EU and elsewhere,” VSE Deputy Director, Aleksandra Ivankovic.
Access to the full article here.
