On the 28th of April took place the public presentation of the game - “Vamos Prevenir! As Aventuras do Búzio e da Coral” (in English, “Let’s Prevent! The Adventures of the Whelk and the Coral). This is a game of Primary Prevention of Sexual Abuse for Children between the ages of 6 and 10 years old, authored by the psychologists Rute Agulhas, Nicole Figueiredo and Joana Alexandres, reserachers at the ISCTE University.

The game, pioneer in Portugal, is recommended by several partners such as the Centre for Judiciary Studies (CEJ), the National Commission for the Protection of Children and Youngsters at Risk (CNCJR) and APAV. It also counts with the support of Alentejo Foundion, the School of the Alentejo Foundation and the “O Século” Foundation.

The presentation took place in Lisbon, at the Thalia Theatre, with about four hundred participants. Besides the authors, the session counted with the participation of Odete Severino (CNCJ), Paulo Guerra (CEJ), José Félix Duque (APAV) and Rita Jerónimo (ISCTE).

APAV’s representative, José Félix Duque, thanked the authors for the partnership invitation and stressed out the importance of the use of scientific instruments in the prevention of sexual abuse. José also noted APAV’s work on the support to children victims of sexual violence, with highlight to Project CORE, co-financed by the European Commission in 2002 and the recent establishment of the CARE Network, with the support of the Gulbenkian Foundation. It is also important to point out that part of the games’ sale profits reverts to APAV.

APAV expresses its deepest sympathies with the victims of the Orlando attacks. We are in solidarity with the families and friends of the victims, as well as with the communities affected by this heinous hate crime and terrorist act.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by the attacks. It is crucial that victim support is available to help the direct and indirect victims of this attack overcome this terrible and tragic event.

The Victim Support Europe Annual Conference took place between the 25th and 27th of May, in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This year the start off theme was to "Connect and Commit: taking victim support to the next level".

This Seminar was a meeting point for 200 participants of the 28 Member States, counting with representatives of victim support organisations, research centers, public entities and civil society organisations, allowing these actors to meet, share practices and knowledge.

APAV made two presentations during the Conference workshops’ sessions, one on identity theft and fraud and another one on shelters for women victims of domestic violence.

RAA Sachsen e.V., the German civil society organisation and its European partners have launched a Practical Guide on Hate Crime Victim Support in Europe. The book was presented at the OSCE and FRA in Vienna and is now available for the public since April the 19th.

Thanks to the big effort deployed by the different NGOs, this comprehensive guide presents rich experiences and knowledge on supporting hate crime victims. APAV was one of the organisations that participated in the guide.

The civil society organisations are the main audience targeted, however, judges, police officers, lawyers, and people who are in contact with victims such as doctors, psychologists, social workers...etc. will also benefit from the perspectives and recommendations presented in this practical book. In fact, the guide discusses the impact of hate violence and crime on individuals, their needs and the difficulties they face.

The Practical Guide on hate crime victim support adopted a victim-centered approach and the victim‘s perspective is heard in an empowering way. The NGOs displayed a range of concrete cases from the different European countries in order to better understand about supporting and counselling victims of hate crime.

Finally, this guide will be pioneering in making the voices of victims heard, and ensuring that they are appropriately taken care of.
 
- The book Hate Crime Victim Support in Europe – A practical Guide published by RAA Saxony is available in English and can be ordered for a shipping fee of 6 Euro (international shipping). Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

- The book can be downloaded free of charge here and at www.h8hurts.eu.