CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS |
WORKSHOP SESSION 1 |
1.1 |
Chickenshed – Crime of the Century Workshop (England). Inspired by the tragedy of a gang-related knife crime on an innocent 14 year old boy. Is ignoring this issue as a society and the appalling challenges facing a community’s young people, turning away and seeing it as someone else’s responsibility, the biggest ‘unreported crime’ of all?
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1.2 |
Frederico Moyano Marques – How can Restorative Justice better meet victims’ interests? (Portugal). How is Restorative Justice dealing with victims? Are they receiving the appropriate treatment and getting in contact with restorative justice schemes? Are Victim Support services and Restorative Justice Services cooperating?
Pam Leslie (Scotland) and Keith Simpson Sacro (Scotland) Restorative Justice Joint Action Project. The findings of a six month project to review the literature concerning victims and RJ and the development of a new model for equal involement of victims, offenders and the community in restorative practices.
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1.3
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Sjaak Krombeen – Public servants (police & ambulance workers) as victims of violence (Netherlands). A workshop to look at help offered to employees and employer in their approach against offenders of violence against public servants, like police officers and ambulance workers.
Tom Considine - Between the Policing Pledge and Police Practice: how victim theories can improve the treatment of victims by the police (England). There appears to be differential practice in the way that police treat victims of crime The implications of this are potentially serious as there could be a significant number of victims unwilling to come forward and report their crime which could undermine the police’s own aspiration.
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1.4 |
Findlay Collins and
Joe Duffy, Petal (Scotland).
The workshop gives an overview of the services that PETAL provides, firstly by outlining the aims and objectives of Petal and then expanding on the immediate treatment of Acute Trauma. |
WORKSHOP SESSION 2 |
2.1 |
Laura Wall & Katja Ravat - “What Choice?” – The Victims Perspective, Reporting Sexual Assault or Child Sexual Abuse (Germany) (40 min). This workshop we will explore the various and complex choices facing victims of sexual assault and child sexual abuse, examining the variables that may influence these choices, including social structures, advocacy availability and the roll victims´ play in the justice system.
Marlene Matos - Group intervention therapy with women victims of intimate violence: An outcome study (Portugal). Although support groups are already well documented in international literature, little research has been conducted on their efficacy. Support groups are not usual in Portugal, this study set up a therapeutic group for women in an abusive relationship. |
2.2 |
Lotta Jägervi & Professor Kerstin Svensson - Gender and Age – Perspectives in Victims Support (Sweden). “Women are victims and men are offenders” - that is a general picture when victimization is discussed. But when volunteers and employed in Victim Support in Sweden discuss, the picture is more complicated. Our presentation has its starting point in an ongoing research project where we study victim’s needs and Victim Support’s means.
Murugesan Srinivasan – Victim Support in India: Current Scenario (India). In India, many crimes go unreported. Even with regard to the reported crimes, many victims fail to cooperate with the prosecution of offenders. Victims cite poor treatment by the criminal justice system – long waits for trails, confusing instructions and inadequate child care and transportation resources as the reasons for their reluctance to cooperate.
Olga Kostina & Marina Schepp – The Impact of Unreported Crime in Russia (Russia).
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2.3 |
Andris Kairiss – Register of Victims of Criminal Offences: the main issues (Latvia). The presentation will give an overview of the project “Development of the Database "Victims of Criminal Offences"” co-financed by the European Commission specific programme “Prevention of and Fight against Crime” and implemented by the Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Latvia. The general objective of the project is to ensure the effective processing of information on persons suffered in result of criminal offences thus promoting the protection of interests of inhabitants and level of population awareness, simplification of administrative procedure for receipt of state compensation, ensuring the authorities – users of information with the information required for the performance of functions thereof as well as promotion of implementation of international/EU liabilities.
Görel Granström - The Swedish Judicial System and its Prioritising of Hate Crimes. A Question of Victims’ Rights or a Question of Politics? (Sweden). This paper presents a critical view of how the Swedish police and prosecutors have been working during the beginning of the 21st century to guarantee the rights of a certain group of crime victims, i.e. victims of hate crimes.
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2.4 |
Anna Wergens – The CURE Project – Empowering the child victim in the criminal justice process (Sweden). Children have special needs by virtue of their age and dependency but they do not have the same access to the judicial system as adults. In view of this, the overarching objective of the CURE project is to raise awareness on the position of the child victim in the criminal justice systems of the EU Member States.
Dr Gerwinde Vynckier - To report or not report: the choice facing mid-adolescent victims of violence and property crime (Belgium). The extent to which mid-adolescents (do not) tell their victimization to others or (do not) report their victimization to the police as well as their reasons for these decisions may be different from the extent to which as well as the reasons why adults (do not) tell or report their victimization.
Ilse vande Walle – Creative ways of working with young children (Belgium). Just as adults, also children can become crime-victims. When child-victims, receive caring support, when their feelings are acknowledged and recognized, they will deal with these events in a normal way. But children first of all remain children. So they will deal with these experiences in their own ways, with their own capacities and forms of expression.
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WORKSHOP SESSION 3 |
3.1 |
Kathleen O’Hara: A Grief Like No other – Understanding the victims experience; how to help them as well as managing your role as service provider (USA). This workshop explores what victims are likely to experience after a crime, particularly homicide; what to expect and how to help them as well as setting good healthy boundaries for yourself and avoiding compassion fatigue. The workshop will present techniques for stress management as well as helping you define your role as provider. |
3.2 |
Deirdre Duffy - Reflections on the engagement of victims and witnesses with the criminal justice system: a human rights approach (Ireland). This presentation will assess the human rights of crime victims as protected under relevant international human rights standards, in particular, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR has now been incorporated into the domestic legal systems of all European countries and the human rights set out in the Convention must be protected under national law and policy. This provides an opportunity for crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf to push for meaningful, real and binding protection for victims’ rights.
Carmen Rasquete & Anthony Pemberton - VinE project (Portugal & Netherlands) (40 Mins). To supplement the Commission's own efforts in gauging the progress of Member States in fulfilling the requirements of the Framework Decision, Victim Support Europe developed the Project Victims in Europe. The project is carried out in partnership by the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV), which was also designated project-leader on behalf of Victim Support Europe, and Dutch research institute Intervict, affiliated with Tilburg University. This Project also has the partnership of 15 Victim Support Organisations and the Portuguese Ministry of Justice. The project aims to review the implementation of the Framework decision in a comprehensive fashion. It consists of three components: Legal implementation; Organizational implementation and Measures of impact.
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3.3 |
Sarah MacQueen - Examining patterns of reporting amongst victims of partner abuse and sexual assault/rape (Scotland). Using data from the 2008/09 sweep of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey this paper will examine patterns of reporting of partner abuse and sexual victimisation/assault/rape and consider which factors influence victims' decisions to remain silent.
Ben Bradford - Voice, neutrality and respect: Use of Victim Support services, procedural fairness, and confidence in the Criminal Justice System (Scotland). If by providing victims with voice and a sense that someone is listening to and taking their concerns seriously contact with Victim Support can be linked to higher confidence in the CJS, then a space is opened up for approaches to enhancing public confidence in the system as whole which do not rely on ever more punitive policies. This paper uses data from the 2007/08 and 2008/09 BCS to investigate these issues. In particular, it asks whether contact with Victim Support increases crime victim's satisfaction with how their case was handled overall, whether it enhances their sense the CJS is procedurally fair, and whether this leads to greater confidence overall.
Susan McVie - Understanding victim experiences of violence (Scotland). This paper will use data from the 2008/09 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey to explore the relationships between different forms of violence experienced by victims in Scotland and identify the profiles of those most at risk from these types of crime. |
3.4 |
Ilse vande Walle – How to communicate with youngsters, victims of crime (Belgium). In this interactive workshop the reactions of youngsters after a crime will be discussed. Information and tips will be given to make communication with youngsters easier without forgetting the position of the parents. There will be time for debate and to discuss own expertise of the participants.
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WORKSHOP SESSION 4 |
4.1 |
Louise Belton and Bronagh Andrew – Prostitution and Trafficking – Commercial Sexual Exploitation and the Impact on Women (Scotland). This workshop will explore the links between prostitution, trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and the demand from the sex industry. Commercial Sexual Exploitation overwhelmingly recruits women to meet the predominantly male demand.
Using case studies we will explore how and why women are recruited, the impact that sexual exploitation has women’s physical, emotional and mental health and highlight the additional complexities experienced by women trafficked into the UK. |
4.2 |
Thomas Green and Chandrika Kelso - Factors Among Women Who Stay in Abusive Relationships (USA). This research examines the factors that help explain the differences between victims of domestic violence who called the police after the first incident versus those who have called the police in the past (multiple victimizations).
Women’s Aid (UK). TBC
Dr Anna Baldry – Risk assessment in case of domestic violence. Effective instruments to help victims assess risk of recidivism (Italy). The presentation will provide participant information about what risk assessment is in cases of intimate partner violence and what risk management is based on international studies. Different existing methods on risk assessment will be outlined by focusing on two methods: the validated and widely used Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) and the newly developed and of use for victims themselves ISA (increasing self awareness). The presentation at this workshop will enable to understand the aims of the instrument, and their applicability, advantages and limitations.
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4.3 |
Ann Moulds – Unmasking the stalker (UK). In March 2009, Ann Moulds waved her anonymity and spoke out publicly about her terrible experience of being the victim of a long and horrendous stalking campaign which made her relocate over 80 miles away to gain a sense of safety. In doing so she lost her business, her home, her friends and her family. Her case was classed as one of the worst recorded in Scottish History. There is a need for a comprehensive and coordinated response from those working within the criminal justice system and victim support organisations to help stem the fear, violence, and death that stalking inflicts on thousands of victims each year.
Dr. Heike Goudriaan and Dr Ferry Koster - The effect of crime location and victim-offender relationship on violence victims’ reporting behaviour (Netherlands). A number of studies examined the effects of victim-offender relationship on violent-crime reporting. However, the empirical findings that these studies generated are mixed. The present study extends previous work by suggesting that these apparent inconsistencies may be resolved if the crime location is also taken into account. In this paper the effects of victim-offender relationship and crime location, which are known to be correlated (e.g. violent crimes taking place in private locations are relatively more often committed by someone known to the victim and vice versa), will be studied simultaneously.
Sonja Leferink & Jack Geelen - ‘Less is more’ A paradigm shift in the psychosocial assistance to disaster victims? (Netherlands). Our main concern is with the psychosocial assistance to victims of disasters and calamities. A wide range of professionals, instruments and treatments are made immediately available to – or rather forced upon? – the affected population. We will explore concepts as resilience and self-efficacy, watchful waiting and stepped care, and will elaborate on the prominent role of a victim support organization as a generic emergency response agency alongside specialist (mental) health agencies.
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4.4 |
Jordan Blair Woods - Meeting the Needs of Hate Crime Victims Through Third Party Reporting (England). Many factors discourage victims from reporting hate crimes to the police, including police distrust, fear of additional victimisation by police officers, fear of retaliation, feelings of shame, fear of exposure, fear of deportation, and language barriers. As a result, hate crimes are severely underreported.
Justina Murray & Alan Howard, South West Scotland Community Justice Authority - Improving victims’ engagement in the criminal justice system: the experience of Scotland’s Community Justice Authorities(CJA) (Scotland). Victims are at the centre of the work of CJAs recognizing that in reducing re-offending we are also seeking to reduce victimization and to ensure that the victim’s voice is heard throughout the criminal justice system. This workshop will outline ways in which CJAs are already working in partnership across Scotland to increase victims’ engagement in the justice system and our plans and aspirations for 2011-14.
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