European Day for Victims of Crime – 22 February 2015

FINLAND:
Rikosuhripaivystys Suomessa (Victim Support Finland)

Press release and local events
On Friday 13.2.15, a national press release highlights the importance of implementing the EU Directive on victims’ rights and focuses on 2014 statistics of Victim Support Finland will show that the need for long-term assistance for victims of crime has increased. Regional press releases will also be made. http://www.riku.fi/sitenews/view/-/ngid/6/nid/231/ (only in Finnish)
Five different events will take place across Finland presenting the work of Victim Support Finland. 3 of them in Lappland, one in Western Finland and one in Eastern Finland: http://www.riku.fi/sitenews/view/-/ngid/1/nid/232/ (only in Finnish)
For further information please contact Leena-Kaisa Åberg, Executive Director of Victim Support Finland or Jaana Koivukangas, Development Director of Victim Support Finland

SWEDEN:
Brottsofferjourernas Riksförbund Sweden ( Victim Support Sweden)

Conference and local events
For the 16^th time The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority arranges a conference to bring awareness to The International Day for Victims of Crime. The conference is a collaboration between the authority and NGO:s in the field.
The conference is held in Stockholm, Sweden on the 20^th of February and focuses on young people’s exposure to violence.
The program consists of lectures and seminars on for example young people’s exposure to intimate partner violence, young people as victims of prostitution and young people’s rights to information and compensation. One of the lectures in plenary is held by Carolina Överlien who is an associate professor at Stockholm University and The Norwegian Centre for  Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies. She presents results from an international research project, Safeguarding Teenage Intimate Relationships (STIR), that she is involved in.
 
More information in Swedish about the conference: http://www.brottsoffermyndigheten.se/kalender/ibd-2015-granser-och-grazoner—ungas-utsatthet-for-vald-fullsatt
Nationwide more than 90 local Victim Support Centres are organising local events such as concerts and lectures.
Information in Swedish: http://www.brottsofferjouren.se/nyheter/internationella-brottsofferdagen-2015/

CROATIA:
Croatian Victim and Witness Support Service and Ministry of Justice

Round-table discussion
On February 20 the VWSS, in cooperation with the Croatian Ministry of Justice, will host a round-table discussion on the implementation of EU Victims Directive into Croatian law and practice.
On February 21 and 22 from 10 AM to 13 PM, VWSS volunteers will distribute information brochures at the city square to inform citizens of Zagreb on the need to improve the legal, psychological and economic status of victims and witnesses in society and on the existence and services of the VWSS’s victim support helpline by.
For further information please email pzs@pzs.hr or check out VWSS’s facebook page: “Udruga za podršku žrtvama i svjedocima”. For the Ministry of Justice please contact nvidmar@pravosudje.hr

NETHERLANDS:
Slachtofferhulp Nederland (Victim Support Netherlands)

Conference
Slachtofferhulp Nederland will hold a conference on Friday, February 20 in The Hague on Young people: victimisation, rights and support. Speakers from The Netherlands and Belgium will focus on victims who are 12 to 18 years of age. Victims who often don’t want to be called victim. Who often are not inclined to look for support, but who definitely could benefit from the right support. Four young victims will inform the audience on the crime they fell victim too and the consequences this had for them.
For further information please see: www.slachtofferhulp.nl/Over-Ons/Positieversterking-slachtoffers/Dag-van-het-Slachtoffer-2015/

SLOVAKIA:
Pomoc Obetiam Násilia – Victim Support Slovakia

Conference
On 27 February 2015 from 09:30 – 14:00, the Conference “Hope for victims” will be held at the National Council of the Slovak Republic, under the auspices of Erika Jurinová, Deputy  Speaker of the Parliament and Tomáš Borec, Minister of Justice.
Addresses:
Věra Jourová (Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality)
Branislav Škripek (MEP)
Speakers include:
Ms. Janka Šípošová (MP and founder of the Victim Support Slovakia
Mr. Juraj Palúš (Ministry of Justice, Director General of Legislation)
Ms. Lucia Kurilovská (Rector of the Police Academy)
Mr. Tibor Gašpar (President of the Police Force)
Ms. Slávka Karkošková (Founder and Director of the ASCEND, association for victims of sexual assault)
Representative of the General Prosecutor´s Office
For further information see: www.pomocobetiam.sk or contact daniela.hrobarova@nrsr.sk or siposova@pomocobetiam.sk 

FRANCE:
Insitut National d’Aide aux Victimes et de Mediation – INAVEM (Victim Support France)

Conferences and discussions
INAVEM has planned three events during the week of 23 February 2015.
On Monday 23rd, from 6 to 8pm, we will talk about the 08VICTIMES missions (the french national helpline) and of the on line listener profession (role, behaviour and difficulties).
The second event, on the 25th of February, from 6 to 8pm, will deal with the restorative justice, which is new in the French Law since the 15th of August 2014. Short films will be present on our YouTube Channel after this event to illustrate the benefits of those news projects.
Finally on the 26th, from 6 to 8pm, we will discuss what Europe brings to victims especially with the process of implementation of the Victim’s Rights Directive. We will focus on Article 22 of the Directive and the individual assessments of  victims.
Across the INAVEM network, local victims support services have also organised « open doors », or meetings, to inform victims how they can seek help and be helped by victim support.
For further information please see:
https://www.facebook.com/Journee.europeenne.victimes?ref=hl
http://www.inavem.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=553&Itemid=316 
or contact:
Olivia Mons INAVEM communication@inavem.org; Héloïse Squelbut hsquelbut@inavem.org

POLAND:
Subvenia Victima (Victim Support Poland)

Extra support and seminars
This year the Week for Victims of Crime in Poland lasts from 23 to 28 February.
The organisers of the Week are both public institutions (law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and other) and NGOs providing support to victims, including the member organisations of Subvenia Victima.
During the Week, the member organisations of Subvenia Victima provide additional access to psychologists and lawyers as well as representatives of the police, prosecutor’s office, courts, border guard, barristers, solicitors, bailiffs, etc.
Some of the member organisations of Subvenia Victima (e.g. SOS for the Family Association) are also organising seminars covered by the media, aimed at the integration of agencies’ activities and at raising awareness of  problems faced by victims of crime.
 
For more information please see:  http://ms.gov.pl/pl/informacje/news,6778,tydzien-pomocy-osobom-pokrzywdzonym-przestepstwem.html

SERBIA:
Viktimološko društvo Srbije (Victimology Society of Serbia)

Memorandum and public event
The Victimology Society of Serbia will prepare a Statement for media.
On 20.02.2015 a memorandum of understanding between Republic Public Prosecutor and Victimology Society of Serbia will be signed. The memorandum will define mutual cooperation between the two organisations with the aim of improving cooperation and the position of victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings. Cooperation will be achieved through the development of A Witness Support Service in the Republic Public prosecutor’s office.
On 21.02. 2015 a public event in the one of biggest shopping malls in Belgrade titled Mercator will take place. The aim of the event is the introduction of the Service VDS info and victim support to the citizens of Belgrade.
For further information please see: www.vds.org.rs

CROATIA:
Bijeli Krug (Victim Support Croatia)

Promoting European day for victims of crime, 22^nd February 2015, Victims help and support organisation ‘’White Circle Croatia’’ will make a statement for the media on Saturday, 21^st February, through which it will announce:

• The cooperation with the Croatian Union of Trade in a project to provide  Legal and psychological help and support to victims of robbery
• the project of Legal aid to elder due to increase of economic violence of elder people.

For further information please see:
Web: www.bijelikrug-hrvatske.hr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bijeli.krug
E-mail: bijeli.krug@gmail.com

CZECH REPUBLIC:
Bily Kruh Bezpeci (Victim Support Czech Republic)

Press conference and the national campaign
The new national helpline 116006 for victims of crime will be introduced at the press conference on February 20, 2015.
Bily kruh bezpeci is the 7^th victim support organisation operating this European phone number for victims of crime in the EU. The helpline is free of charge for all callers and it operates 24/7.
The national campaign promoting 116006 helpline for victims of crime started on February 17, 2015 (TV / radio / internet spots, billboards, advertising in magazines and newspapers).
For further information please see:
www.bkb.cz
http://116006.cz/