This handbook was developed in the context of the project “Pro.VI – Protecting Victims’ Rights”, financed by the European Commission – Directorate General Justice and Consumers (JUST-AG2017/JUST-JACC-AG-2017) – which is coordinated by the Psychoanalytic Institute for Social Research (IPRS) in cooperation with Asociaciòn Consensus (Spain), Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal), CJD (Germany) and West Timosoara University (Romania).
The project aims to integrate European Union’s efforts to promote the development of an efficient victim protection system, improving the competencies of justice system and restorative justice practitioners in order to support victims of crime, enabling victims to understand and access their rights.
The project’s actions involve key professionals within the judicial process and victim support services with the conviction that all justice system actors and professional services that work with victims of crime should share the same vision, strategies and objectives in order to work together in an effective and coherent manner. The project aims to promote continuous dialogue between practice and academic research, contributing to a process of reflection capable of improving the quality and adequacy of services and identify areas in need of further study.
Quotes from interviews with victims and stakeholders have been translated by the authors and edited for clarity.