APAV spreads the Criminal Police warning about cyber threats in the context of the COVID-19 public health crisis. In international crisis scenarios, cybercriminals traditionally take advantage of the social alarmism and media attention provoked by the situation for their cyber-attacks.

The current pandemic, due to the spreading of virus COVID-19, is no exception. In fact, a high number of cybercriminals are using the theme as cover up for their attacks. Since february, different types of cyber attacks have been registered:
-Phishing (by email, SMS or social media) by pretending to have a connection to official organizations such as World Health Organization, UNICEF or health investigation centers and laboratories, leading people to share personal information or to open files which instead of COVID-19 related information download malware;
-Promotion of digital plataforms or apps that supposedly provide real time information about the pandemic, but which are aimed, in reality, to download malware, including ransomware;
-Digital fraud scams shared by email or in social media which promote crowdsourcing in order to collect funds for false campaigns to buy medical and self-protection material;
-SMS informing that, according to the law, extraordinary measures are being applied and that all national citizens will be vaccinated and that, in order to later receive reimbursement of expenses, people should pay the amount defined in the SMS;

Given these situations, people are advised to take extreme caution concerning digital contents related to COVID-19, and to prioritize official and reliable sources of information.

Is the European Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Terrorism, On this date, in 2004, took place the terrible attacks on the train station of Atocha, in Madrid, that cause 193 deaths and left over 2000 people injured. Along with the attacks in New York, in 2001, and in London, in 2005, terrorism has become a constant notion worldwide.

Nowadays, because of the Middle East political situation and the refugees crisis, Europe is stage of violence and extremist rhetoric by religious, nationalist and identity movements. We witness this radicalization in different sectors of society, which leads to an ever-growing polarization of the differences between “we” and “the others”.

European Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Terrorism aims to keep the memory of those who were killed by these radical causes alive, making their “voices”, as well as their families’ and friends’, heard. This is part of the process of recovery and humanizes the victims. It reminds us that the attacks were not directed at specific sector of society, but against real people: wives, parents, partners and friends. People with names, faces and life stories suddenly interrupted.

Since 2016, APAV has been supporting victims and families and friends of victims of terrorist attacks abroad through the specialized network Support for Family Members and Friends of Homicide and Terrorism Victims (RAFAVHVT). APAV also works on preventing and fighting radicalization. This year, Project Counter@ct, promoted by APAV, will launch a campaign of positive narratives of integration of young refugees.

We must not forget the terrorist attacks victims, but we should keep in mind that not only those directly affected but all of us, as a society, no matter the race, nationality, sexual orientation or gender, are victims of terrorism. Celebrating this day is also celebrating the diversity that makes us European citizens.

The 17^th edition of APAV’s solidarity race will happen on the 23rd May, at 18:00, in Lisbon, the point of both departure and arrival being Praça do Império, in Belém.

Besides the race of 10km, there will also take place the traditional Families’ March (5km) as well as the Kids Race.

As usual, the registration fees will be donated to APAV.

Registration

Thirty years ago, the first steps were taken towards the creation of what is currently considered a national reference organization in support of victims of crime in Portugal. In a context of awareness of the rights of the victim of crime and with the aim of addressing the lack of any support structure for this, was born APAV - Portuguese Association for Victim Support.

This year 2020, APAV celebrates 30 years of existence. Over three decades, the institution has transformed challenges into opportunities, charted a path of effort and perseverance, established itself as an active voice in society contributing to its balance and pacification and has become more agile and responsible in building a Portuguese society. fairer and more democratic society.

More information (in Portuguese):
apav.pt/30anos