Workshop
INVICTM – Supporting victims of terrorism and mass victimisation – success through partnerships
Tuesday June 12th, 2019
15:35 to 17:05
This workshop will focus on the importance international cooperation and partnerships in supporting victims of terrorism and mass violence. You will hear from the Chair of INVICTM who will provide an overview of the work of INVICTM and how that has led to the development of a National Working Group in Canada. Ms Verelst (INVICTM) will speak to the needs of foreign/cross-border victims in the immediate aftermath and longer term as well as who needs to be involved in the response and the importance of international cooperation/collaboration. Paul Flood and Jill Roark from the FBI Victim Services Division will outline the FBI’s agency response capabilities, the importance of planning and preparedness, predictable challenges/practical solutions and lessons learned form recent attacks from a domestic and international lens.
Speakers:
Sue Osullivan – Chair INVICTIM
An Verelst – INVICTM
Paul Flood – FBI Victim Services
Jill Roark – FBI Victim Services
SUE O’SULLIVAN
Chair, International Network Supporting Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence (INVICTM)
Throughout her career, Sue O’Sullivan has been an advocate for safe and healthy communities and for increased services to victims. Ms. O’Sullivan began her distinguished career in policing in 1981, holding numerous leadership positions throughout her 30 years of service until retiring as Deputy Chief of Police (Ottawa). Continuing forward with her work and drawing on her background and interest in assisting those affected by crime, Ms. O’Sullivan began an appointed term as Canada’s Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime on August 16, 2010 and completed her term on November 15th, 2017. During her time as Ombudsman, Ms. O’Sullivan continually placed a strong emphasis on ensuring that victims’ voices were heard at the federal level and pushed for positive change for victims of crime in Canada, including making recommendations to the Government of Canada on legislative and policy amendments.
She is currently the Chair of the International Network Supporting Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence (INVICTM), Chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) National Working Group (Victims), Executive Advisory Board member of Victim Support Asia and a member of the International Victims Focus Group for Operation Kenova. Sue is also a past president of the Leadership in Counter Terrorism Alumni Association and a current member of the Executive Advisory Board. Sue was appointed to the National DNA Data Bank Advisory Committee in 2018.
AN VERELST
An Verelst is a clinical psychologist, researcher, victim specialist, and project manager. An worked as a trauma psychologist in war-affected regions in Northern Uganda and Eastern Congo. In Eastern Congo she managed a victim support NGO and carried out a large scale quantitative and qualitative study on the psychosocial consequences of sexual violence during and after the armed conflict. During this research project she acquired the necessary skills to carry out qualitative and trauma-sensitive interviews and participatory action research with vulnerable victims.
From 2015 until 2018, she worked as policy officer and Deputy Director of Victim Support Europe, among others on the issue of Compensation for victims of violent crime. She carried out desk research, developed surveys and carried out interviews with victim support organisations and national compensation authorities on compensation of victims with a particular focus on cross-border victimisation. Currently, An works as a project coordinator for Ghent University on a Horizon 2020 project called Refguees Well School that evaluates the impact of 6 psychosocial interventions for young refugees and migrants in schools. She also volunteers at V-Europe and Victim Support Europe. As a volunteer she works to contribute to improving support and compensation for victims of terrorism in Belgium, Europe and internationally.
