President
President of the ‘Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima’ (APAV), Portugal

João Lázaro is currently the President of Victim Support Europe (VSE). As President of the Executive Board João, among other things, represents the organisation to others, presides all meetings, ensures decisions are made in a timely manner and translated into meaningful actions and facilitates the accomplishment of VSE’s strategic goals.

Holder of a Bachelor degree in Law and a post-graduate degree in Victim-Offender Mediation and Restorative Justice, João is also a practicing lawyer and the Executive President of the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV), a founding member of VSE.

He has long experience in leading governance roles. Within VSE alone, João has been a member of the Board since 2008 and was elected President after four years serving as its Vice-President. He developed extensive work in the field of victimology and has dedicated his career to advocate for the rights of victims of crime.