• A training for EU judicial professionals (judges, prosecutors and court staff) on Victims’ Rights in the EU in practice took place in Stockholm, 1-2 December hosted by the Swedish Training Academy, member of EJTN.
• The training focused on those vulnerable victims such as victims of domestic violence, child sexual abuse and gender-based violence who require a targeted and integrated support and special protection.

Through this training seminar, EJTN was helping to ensure that the EU Directives on Victims’ Rights and Child Sexual Abuse will be effectively upheld in participants’ daily praxes.

This day-and-a-half training seminar in Stockholm raised awareness among practitioners of the current proposal for a Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, initiative of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; the EU framework of Child Sexual abuse; a deeper understanding of the European Protection Order, judicial cooperation tool to promote the right of protection of women across the EU borders; the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence as well as Children’s rights perspectives on domestic and sexual violence.

The training seminar combined key note speeches, workshops, presentations and plenary briefings, conducted  by a panel of acclaimed  experts, representatives of the European Commission as well as from Victims Support Europe. A multidisciplinary approach was enhanced by an overview on how to protect child victim of sexual abuse in the Criminal Justice System from a psychological perspective.

Our gratitude to the team of speakers, experts and representatives of the Swedish Judicial Training Academy who made of this training a new EJTN success: Cathrin BAUER-BULST; Prof. Dr. Wendy DE BONDT; Judge Stelyanos BIOS; Prosecutors Alexandru-Adrian ANGHEL and Claudia Andreaa BURSUC; Aleksandra IVANKOVIC, Anda MADAR; Anne-Marie BASUN and Jenny ÅHLING.

Practitioners and judicial court staff from 18 Member States were present at the seminar. Alexandru GEORGESCU, from EJTN’s Member organisation of Romanian National Institute for the Magistracy was the EJTN Activity Coordinator for the seminar.

EJTN is proud to have provided such a seminal training seminar, which will help ensure that  Victims’ Rights in criminal proceedings in the EU in practice are parts of training of EU justice professionals.