It is with the deepest sadness that Victim Support Europe shares the passing of Helgard van Hüllen (Dr. Jur.), former Vice President of VSE until 2020, Vice Chairwoman of Weisser Ring (Victim Support Germany), and President of Weisser Ring Southern Bavaria.
Helgard was a truly unique and pioneering figure whose lifelong commitment to victims and victim support touched the lives of countless people. For over 4 decades, she dedicated herself to supporting victims and strengthening victim support organisations, always ensuring that victims and their path to recovery remained at the heart of this work.
During her time at VSE, Helgard played an important role in the implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, helping to strengthen victim support and the rights of victims across Europe. She was particularly passionate about the importance of voluntary victim support and the unique value that volunteers can bring to those who have experienced crime.
Her involvement with VSE continued until the end, reflecting her enduring commitment to the organisation and to victims’ rights across Europe. As part of VSE’s 2025 campaign, The Year of Victims’ Rights, she spoke on 22 February 2025 at the European Day for Victims of Crime, offering a deeply personal retrospective on 35 years of the victims’ rights movement. She recalled a time when victims were “largely invisible”, with no structured support, legal framework or European movement dedicated to their rights. Remembering the pioneers who “knocked on doors until they opened”, she reflected with pride on VSE’s founding in 1990 by 17 NGOs and the creation of the European Day for Victims of Crime. She connected this journey to Europe’s wider experience of solidarity, freedom and unity, drawing on her memories of German reunification. At VSE’s 35th anniversary celebration in Lisbon, she again shared her experience and wisdom with colleagues, reaffirming her lifelong commitment to ensuring that “no victim is left behind” and that “justice is not a privilege, but a right.”
For Helgard, victim support was fundamentally about making sure that people were met with understanding, compassion and a human connection at a difficult moment in their lives. She believed strongly in the importance of having someone there simply because they wanted to help, rather than because it was their professional obligation.
In her own words, she worked to ensure that no victim was forgotten and that everyone had a voice. This commitment was at the heart of everything she did and leaves a lasting legacy for victim support in Europe.
She will be deeply missed by her colleagues, friends, and the many people whose lives she touched.
If you wish to send your condolences, you can do so via info@weisser-ring.de or to Weisser Ring, Weberstr. 16, 55130 Mainz, Germany.
