João Lázaro speaks at the opening of the 1st International Conference of Victim Support Asia
The President of APAV - Portuguese Association for Victim Support and VSE - Victim Support Europe, João Lázaro, spoke at the opening of the 1st International Conference of Victim Support Asia. The conference took place in Seoul, South Korea, on March the 24 and 25.
“The fact that the first conference of Victim Support Asia takes place in Seoul (...) is a true testament to the commitment and determination of Mr. Yongwoo Lee and Mr. Hak Seok Kim who have been the driving force behind its creation. It has long been their vision to bring together organisations and institutions working for victims in Asia and around the world”, says João Lázaro.
“I, and Victim Support Europe, have been proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this endeavour. I have no doubt that VSA’s current and future members and partners will together forge a new approach for victims of crime in Asia helping shape the way that rights and services for all victims of crime develop across the continent”.
Source: Victim Support Europe
European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism
On the March 11th, the European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism, Victim Support Europe’s board together with representatives from 8 countries took part in the ceremony at the commemoration monument for the victims of terror on Schumanplein, in Brussels. The ceremony was organised by V-Europe and the White March Committee to pay tribute to all victims of terrorism. It is vital to remember all those killed and impacted by terrorism and take a stand against further tragedies in their name.
New awareness campaign on violence against elderly people
APAV presents a new awareness campaign on violence against elderly people. The campaign is based on the motto "To look aside is to be an accomplice". This new campaign had strategic and creative development by McCann and the film was directed by Grumpy Panda.
Vice President of VSE awarded by the Parliament of Bavaria
Helgard van Hullen, Vice President of the Victim Support Europe, was awarded by the Parliament of the State of Bavaria (Germany) with its Silver Medal for a life time commitment and work, namely in Weisser Ring Germany, for the well being of the community and public interest. The ceremony took place in the Senate Room of the Bavarian Parliament (Bayerischer Landtag), Munich, on the 1st of February 2019.
New campaign: Fight Hate with Respect #respectbattles
APAV promotes the new campaign "Fight Hate with Respect". This campaign aims to raise awareness against hate speech and hate crime. This campaign features five of the most proeminent hip-hop artists of the Portuguese musical scene: Ace (ethnic and racial hate); M7 (hate against LGBTIQ+ people), Papillon (hate and religious intolerance), Estraca (hate agains migrants and refugees) and Malabá (general theme).
The campaign is inspired by the concept of Rap Battles - musical battles that have hatred as genesis and in which insults are exchanged, as in the relationship between those who hate and those who hate them. In this campaign, the fight is against hate and not against people. Here, the protagonists are brought face-to-face with the victims - and instead of shouting words of hatred, they shout words of respect.
This campaign was developed under the project Hate No More, a project co-financed by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship / Justice Program, with the national partnership of the Judiciary Police and the General Prosecutor's Office, as well as the associated partnership of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, and with European partner organizations - Faith Matters (United Kingdom), Solidarci (Italy), Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority (Sweden), Victim Support Austria (Austria) and Victim Support Malta (Malta).