Dr Cath Hill is a Social Work academic at Lancaster University and a registered social worker in the UK, where she specialises in social work with children and young people and trauma-informed approaches to victimisation and abuse. Cath and her son, who was ten at the time, survived the Manchester Arena Bombing in 2017. Aware that many young people affected by that attack were struggling with their mental distress, and some were unable to access support, Cath founded Manchester Survivors Choir, a peer support group for young survivors and their families. Through this voluntary work she identified a need to advocate for young victims. This led to her developing and leading the Bee the Difference research project, a collaborative project with young survivors and disaster response charity the National Emergencies Trust, which highlighted the support needs of young people affected by terrorism. She is a trustee for UK charity Survivors Against Terror, on the victims advocate group for Victim Support Europe and a survivor’s advisory panel member for the National Emergencies Trust. She has advised both the Home Office and Department of Education in the UK on how to support young people affected by sudden traumatic incidents.

Astrid Passin was born in Görlitz in 1973. At the age of four, her family moved to Berlin because of her father’s teaching job. Her artistic career as a glass engraver began at the porcelain manufactory in Meissen in 1989 and ended in Bavaria after the country’s shift in politics. She then studied graphics and communication design in Potsdam, after which she worked as a freelance graphic artist and interior designer in Berlin and Brandenburg. When her daughter was born, she joined the family company in retail, working first as a manager, then as a freelance entrepreneur.  

But everything changed on 19 December 2016. She lost her father in the deadly terrorist attack on the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. A lorry was driven at full speed into a crowd, taking several lives and breaking Berlin’s heart in seconds. Three days of uncertainty followed, as she waited to hear whether her father’s death would be confirmed or whether he somehow survived in hospital. Once politicians and the authorities hesitantly began dealing with the people affected, Astrid Passin’s battle to tackle these issues began. To this day, she volunteers to help the victims of terrorism, both in Germany and abroad. The national remembrance day commemorating the victims of terrorism on 11 March was established in Germany thanks also to her efforts. As spokesperson for the initiative on December 19, 2016, she became the founder and chairwoman of the first German organization for victims of terrorism, VoT Germany.

Ruth Maxwell is a survivor of a random knife attack in 2016 that left her with life-changing injuries. Her attacker, later convicted of five violent assaults over six years – including attempted rape, sexual assault and attempted strangulation – is now serving the longest sentence ever handed down in the Republic of Ireland for a single offender.

Following her harrowing experience, Ruth found the process of applying for compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal (CICT) deeply retraumatising. This injustice led her to begin advocating for change, both for herself and for others facing the same barriers.

Over the past nine years, Ruth has supported victims navigating the CICT process and now works as a CICT Consultant, highlighting the need for trauma-informed reform. Her advocacy has also led to engagement with the Law Reform Commission, where she contributed to drawing national attention to gaps in the system.

Camille is a former (white collar) criminal lawyer . She is a survivor of two traumatic events that profoundly shaped her life: sexual abuse by a university professor, and a violent road accident that almost cost her her life.

What has been most difficult for her is not only the trauma itself, but the length, complexity, and often inhumane pace of the procedures. Confronting the accused, navigating extremely long delays, and feeling poorly supported as a victim have all added layers of suffering to what she has already endured.

Yet despite all this, she chose not to remain silent.

She founded an international NGO – Alliance for Equality in Academia – to support victims of sexual and moral harassment within universities and to advocate for safer, more accountable academic environments. She also ran the Marathon des Sables, one of the toughest races in the world, to raise funds for children with disabilities. She came out of her experiences with more luck than others, and felt it was only right to use that chance to support them.

Today, she feels strong enough to speak up, to share her story, and to advocate for victims’ rights at every level she can.

She hopes that by lending her voice, she can help make the justice system more humane, more efficient, and truly centred on the needs of victims.

Lisa Marie Schaumburg is a psychologist, PhD researcher, and children’s rights advocate. Her early life was marked by exposure to domestic violence, parental mental health struggles, and complex custody battles that ultimately placed her in the care of an abusive parent. These challenges have given her a grounded understanding of how vulnerable children and individuals can fall through institutional gaps when society fails to identify abused children as victims. Today, she brings this experience both into her advocacy and professional life: While her research explores key issues surrounding the emotional abuse and neglect of children, her advocacy brings these issues into the limelight, highlighting the complexity of children’s lives after abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence. Her priority is to show both policymakers and laypeople that putting children’s emotional needs at the heart of child-focused policy and legislature is key to creating a happier, healthier next generation. 

Nela Kalpic’s work in victim rights is deeply informed by lived experience. Having survived war, displacement, and domestic violence, and having lived in countries where meaningful support for victims was often absent or limited, she understands firsthand what it means to navigate harm, fear, and institutions that do not always know how to respond. Those experiences continue to shape her perspective and her commitment to making sure victims are not only recognised, but met with dignity and care. 

Originally from Serbia, Nela spent over a decade living in the Middle East before making the United States her home. Her personal journey across very different legal, cultural, and social realities has shaped the way she understands harm, recovery, and the importance of a response that is both serious and humane. That perspective sits at the heart of her work and the way she approaches accountability, collaboration, and change. It has also led her to care deeply about a more holistic approach to the criminal justice process, one that recognises the impact it has on every life it touches. 

As part of her work, Nela worked on the ballot initiative that added stronger rights for crime victims to the Wisconsin Constitution, and remained engaged afterwards, working with stakeholders across the justice process to help ensure those rights were implemented properly. She is also the creator of the internationally recognised Victim Rights Mapping framework, an innovative model that traces a victim’s journey through the justice process while helping professionals identify where rights, support, and accountability can break down. The framework was adopted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and has since been adapted for use by the National Guard and the Department of Corrections, receiving national and international recognition for its impact. She continues to advise agencies across the United States and internationally on improving the response to victims and strengthening collaboration across disciplines. 

She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Organization for Victim Assistance, the U.S. Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus Advisory Committee, and the Board of Directors for the National Crime Victim Law Institute. She is also a member of INVICTM, a global network supporting victims of terrorism and mass violence. A sought-after speaker, Nela has presented at conferences around the world and has travelled extensively to learn from and collaborate with victim support agencies across different countries. She is also regularly featured in media coverage related to victim support, services for those impacted by crime, and efforts to strengthen victims’ rights. 

Her work has been recognised with several honours, including the Governor’s Courage Award and a 2025 nomination by the Wisconsin Department of Justice for the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime National Crime Victims’ Service Award. She has served under multiple state administrations, reflecting a bipartisan approach grounded in collaboration, practicality, and a sustained commitment to improving outcomes for victims at the local, national, and international level. 

I am an international human rights lawyer, trauma-informed practitioner, and facilitator specialising in racial trauma, embodied somatic recovery, complex dialogue, conflict transformation, and negotiation. Born in the Republic of South Africa, raised in Australia, and now based in Amsterdam, my cross-cultural lived experience informs an intersectional and international approach to human rights, humanitarian action, governance, criminal justice, and victim-centred practice.

My professional career spans human rights advocacy, humanitarian work, child protection, anti-trafficking programmes, and advisory roles to local and state government on governance, accountability, and social safety. I have worked extensively with victims and survivors in both immediate recovery contexts and within institutional settings addressing harm, accountability, and repair.

My academic work focuses on toxic organisational cultures and transgressive workplace behaviour, with particular attention to trauma-conscious and restorative approaches to institutional harm.

Alongside my professional practice, I have personally experienced harm across different stages of life, including childhood and adulthood, in both societal and workplace contexts. This lived experience of victimisation, alongside professional expertise, informs my deep commitment to supporting others through recovery, justice processes, and systems of repair.