A MAJOR two-day conference in Edinburgh this week could ensure the development of co-ordinated services for vitims and witnesses of crime across the world.
Says a spokesperson: “The conference in the Caledonian Hotel on May 30-31 has been organised by Victim Support Europe (VSE) and is the first time the event has been staged in the UK.
“It brings together justice organisations from across the globe with a view to mapping the improvements which would be necessary to ensure that victims of crime received the best standard of treatment irrespective of where in the world an offence occurs.”
Keynote speakers include David McKenna, president of VSE and chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Justice, HRH The Princess Royal, president of Victim Support in the UK, Vivianne Reding, vice-president of the European Commission.
The full programme for the event is listed below, and the media are welcome to attend.
Angela Catlin has been engaged to provide daily picture coverage.
For further information/assistance, contact David Sinclair (see details below).
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Victim Support Europe Programme – Thursday, 30 May
08:00-09:00 Registration Caledonian Hotel
09:00-10:15 Opening Ceremony
Welcome
Bob Leitch, Chair of Victim Support Scotland
EU Irish Presidency Keynote Address
Fergus O’Dowd TD, Minister of State (Irish Government and
EU Presidency)
Victims and Witnesses in Scotland
Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Scotland
Victims’ Rights in Europe
Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission
Opportunities/Challenges in Delivering Rights and Services to Victims in Europe
David McKenna, President of Victim Support Europe
10:15 Refreshments
10:30 Workshop Session One – Victims’ Rights
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Workshop Session Two – Cross-border Victimisation
14:30 Refreshments
14:45 Workshop Session Three – Victims’ Rights in a Wider Context
16:00 Plenary Session – Victim Support Leaders’ Perspective
Chair: Petra Kjallman, Executive Director, Victim Support Finland
John Hayward-Cripps, Locality Director, Victim Support England & Wales
Sabrina Belucci, Chief Executive, INAVEM (France)
Helgard van Hullen, Vice President, Weisser Ring (Germany)
João Lázaro, Vice-President of Victim Support Europe and, Executive Director APAV (Portugal)
Close of Conference Day One
18:30-20:30 Reception at Edinburgh Castle hosted by Scottish Government
Programme – Friday, 31 May
08:00-09:00 Registration Caledonian Hotel
09:00 Plenary Session – Next Steps in Progressing Victims’ Rights
Chair: Jim Andrews, Deputy Chief Executive, Victim Support Scotland
Future plans
Ingrid Bellander-Todino, Team Leader for Victims rights, Justice Directorate, European Commission
Next steps – The European Parliament
Antonyia Parvanova MEP, Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, European Parliament
International Perspective
Will Marling, Executive Director, National Organization for Victim Assistance (US)
Action Plan
João lázaro, Vice-President of Victim Support Europe
10:15 Refreshments
10:30 Workshop Session Four – New Approaches in Victim Support
12:30 Lunch
1350 Arrival of HRH The Princess Royal
1400 – 1415 Dr Helgard van Hullen to chair and introduce:
Plenary Session – The EU Directive on Victims’ Rights
Frida Wheldon, Head of Policy, Victim Support Europe
14.15 David McKenna and Bob Leitch to introduce HRH to: Dame Helen Reeves, Will Marling, Marc Groenhuisjen. Simona Mesoniene, Director, Ministry of Justice, Lithuania; Denisa Fikarova, Victims Team, European Commission.
1420 – 1515 Workshop sessions:
* BOARDROOM: Supporting Victims of human trafficking
* GLAMIS/DORNOCH rooms: Expanding the scope of Victim Definition: Supporting Victims of Collective Disasters
* VERSAILLES room: Victim Complaint Procedures – seeking redress for breached rights
* CASTLE SUITE: Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse
* CASTLE SUITE: Young Victims
1515 David McKenna and Bob Leitch to introduce HRH to organising team:
1520 – 1550 Plenary Session – Moving Forward for Victims: The Holistic Approach
Dame Helen Reeves, Victim Support Europe (Chair); David McKenna, Victim Support Europe; Will Marling NOVA (US); Marc Groenhuisjen, INTERVICT; Simona Mesoniene, Ministry of Justice, Lithuania.
1550 HRH – speech
1555 Closing Remarks
David McKenna, President of Victim Support Europe.
16.00 Bob Leitch to introduce Laura Heapy, 10, to present posy to HRH and to close conference
David McKenna and Bob Leitch to escort HRH to Castle rooms to reception:
1615 Depart
18:30-22:00 Drinks Reception and Conference Dinner at the Signet library, Edinburgh
Saturday, 1 June
09:30-12:30 Victim Support Europe General Meeting
Glamis/Dornoch Suite, Caledonian Hotel
MEDIA RELEASE posted by Victim Support Scotland. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: David Sinclair
Phone: 07803970320
Email: david.sinclair@victimsupportsco.org.uk
Website: http://www.victimsupportsco.org.uk
