Call for Stories and Testimonials:
VSE’s 2023 Campaign ‘Achieving Safe Justice for Victims of Crime’

PRACTICAL OVERVIEW

1. Introduction

Ahead of the European day for Victims of crime, VSE launches a call for stories and testimonials from individuals who participated in a journey towards justice and are willing to share their positive experiences as well as the barriers and challenges they faced when dealing with the justice system. 

These individuals include victims, survivors, family and community members affected by the justice system, but also practitioners facilitating criminal justice processes (e.g. victim support workers, police, solicitors, etc).

The purpose of the campaign is to bring to light experiences that can raise awareness about the existing challenges of a victim’s journey from crime to the outcome of criminal proceedings. With these stories we aim to address ways in which the justice system harms victims unnecessarily.

For the collection of stories we ask the assistance of our member organisations working with victims of crime and their social circles to record their experiences of dealing with the justice system. The collection period of the campaign runs between January 2 –  February 20, 2023.

2. Ways to particpate

One can share their experience about challenges and barriers in a journey towards justice in multiple ways, and it is up to the individuals which of these they choose: 

A) Participating with a video/audio recording contribution. For this purpose we are looking for individuals affected by injustices or who witnessed injustices and who consent to share their story publicly through a video or audio recording.

B) Participating with first name or full name in a written way and (optional) providing a photo. We want to give space to those ones who wish to come forward publicly by using a written article format for their testimonies.

Overview about the different ways to participate (all voluntary):

	Anonymously	Open to be identified publicly
Written story / testimonial	yes	yes, only above 18, with consent of all affected parties
Video-recorded testimonial	yes	yes, only above 18, with consent of all affected parties
Written story / testimonial	yes	yes, only above 18, with consent of all affected parties

Any individual who participates in the campaign is asked to fill out a consent form (click here to download consent form)  including details on the campaign and explanations on how VSE protects the rights of any of the contributors.

3. The Collection Period

The campaign to collect personal stories starts on 2 January and ends on the 20th of February 2023.

4. Target Groups

Any individual who participated in a journey towards justice, such as:

• victims of crime and survivors
• relatives, community members and other supporters of victims of crime
• victim support workers
• authorities and justice professionals (e.g. police staff, law enforcement, judiciary)
• other professionals (e.g. educators, social workers)

5. Area of interest

We are interested in any information an individual would like to share related to her/his/their experience with the justice system: what worked out for them and what didn’t. Preferably, for the sake of making the story more appealing to the audience, the videos could be filmed in justice-related surroundings relevant to the content of the story: courts (even if filmed with the court on the background, the video would already be looking more engaging!), police stations, victim support offices, etc. These accounts should rely on the participating individual’s perspective and should give priority to their own narrative. People experience such situations very differently and account about them in varying ways. Different elements of the stories might be important to different people, and they might want to highlight different aspects of their experiences. These differences should be respected.

However, we provide a few general questions that can help to focus participants’ testimonials:

• The crime committed against the victim (what happened?).
• How it made them feel to be a victim?
• How was the experience when they reported the crime?
• What barriers and challenges did they face when dealing with the justice system?
• How did their experience with the justice system affect them in the aftermath of crime?

What worked out for them when dealing with the justice system and what could have been better?

6. Length

We do not set extent of the given accounts. Anything can be valuable from a few words to a few thousand words. Individuals should share their stories as detailed as they find it to be relevant and important.

7. Language

We encourage to record or to write down stories in the native language of the participants. The VSE member organisation is kindly asked to provide the translation of the testimony in a written form (sent to VSE in a separate document) or integrated in the video as subtitles.

8. The outcomes

VSE plans to use the shared stories in the following ways (note: in the consent form, participants will express their consent to share their story in any of these formats/ settings):

• Publish the testimony/story in its entirety on the VSE website and/or other publications (such as newsletters, information videos, brochures, handouts, policy papers, research summaries, thematic briefs, reports) or in public presentations (such as conferences or webinars).
• Publish podcasts and/or video-interviews on the VSE media channels (such as YouTube).
• Publish and/or print photographs (e.g. as posters with short quotes added to the images or published along the photos).
• Print shorts quotes on materials used as gifts or to collect donations (e.g. t-shirts, notebooks).
• VSE reserves the right to publish only a selected number of stories and to shorten these accounts or to use only quotes from them.

9. Submission & contact

Deadline for submitting stories: 20 February 2023.

To submit a story, or for further details about the call and related questions please contact: l.vandenheuvel@victimsupporteurope.eu

VIDEO, AUDIO and WRITTEN TEXT REQUIREMENTS

1. Video

Guidelines for preparing your video

• Duration: 1-5 minutes
• Video file format: mp4
• Aspect ratio:  horizontal

File format

• All files must be in MP4 Format
• Resolution = “full HD,” 1080 (1920 x 1080 pixels). This is also a common screen resolution for smartphones.

Tips for recording

1. Use as quiet an area as possible
2. Avoid areas that have echo
   1. Rooms should be fairly small
   2. Sound dampening with carpeting, curtains, furniture
3. Using an external microphone is preferable.
4. Do a test recording of a couple of minutes and review the sound and picture quality, MP4 format, before recording the entire presentation. Make adjustments if needed.

Sending your video (DEADLINE: 20 February 2023)

1. Go to the WeTransfer website – https://www.wetransfer.com/
2. Click on “Add your files” and select the files that you want to upload (can be one or more).
3. Enter the email address of the recipient: l.vandenheuvel@victimsupporteurope.eu
4. Enter your email address.
5. Press the TRANSFER button to send your video.

2. Audio

1. Your audio files should be in MP3 format with bitrates between 96 and 320 kbps.

2. If you are recording the audio with your mobile phone, it’s better to use an external microphone.
All phones feature internal microphones that. However, these aren’t capable of high-quality sound capture; and with a format like campaign podcasting where audio is the focal point, people will tune out quickly if your recording is poor. The single easiest way to significantly improve your audio when recording into a phone is to use an external microphone. The shops offer plenty of options that will deliver crystal-clear audio and plug directly into your phone.

3. Tips For Getting Great Audio When Recording a Story On Your Phone:
Record in a quiet place – If possible, record your story in a quiet room with minimal background noise that could be picked up in your recording. This includes traffic or pedestrian noise, air conditioners or fans, music or noisy housemates. Also, choose a room with minimal reflective surfaces, as this will introduce a distant, echo-y quality to your audio, which will be unpleasant to listen to. Carpet, rugs, curtains and bookshelves will all help reduce these reflections and make your podcast sound more professional.

Mount your phone to keep it secure – Don’t hold your phone while recording, as any knocks, bumps or vibrations will be picked up by your microphone and be audible in your podcast. We recommend using a tripod and grip to secure your phone in place.

Consider microphone placement – Thinking carefully about where your microphone is in relation to your mouth is very important, particularly when recording on a phone. If you’re too close to your microphone, your audio may become distorted; too far away and it will sound distant. To get a rich, professional sound, ensure your mic is pointed directly at your mouth, roughly 20-30cm away.

Watch your audio levels – Most audio recording apps will have a level meter that indicates how loud the incoming audio is. Before you start recording, do a few tests to ensure your audio is clean and clear. Keep an eye on this while doing your test. If the meter is hitting the orange or red section, your audio is too loud and may become distorted. Simply back a few centimetres away from the mic until the level meter is sitting just above the halfway point and make sure your voice is balanced while you’re talking.

3. Written text

Definition and criteria for inclusion

• A written story/testimony is should be delivered in the author’s own voice, based on fact and drawn from an author’s expertise or experience.
• Your piece can be funny or angry, indignant or perplexed, subversive or straightforward. Just make sure it suits your writing personality and that you keep it consistent.

Structure and publication

• Opinion pieces should ideally be 500 words in length. 
• Submitted pieces feature a picture that illustrates the contents addressed in the piece with full indication of rights holders and a photo of the author.
• Opinion pieces should be submitted in English.

CAMPAIGN CONCEPT NOTE

1. Background

In 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden, Victim Support Europe declared 22 February to be the European Day for Victims of Crime. The European Day offers the momentum to remember those who have suffered at the hands of criminals – many millions every year – children and adults, women and men, poor and wealthy, residents and visitors to the EU.

The European Day for Victims of Crime is an annual Action Day organised by Victim Support Europe to create awareness about the pertinent issues of victims’ rights.

In this 33rd edition, we will launch our new discussion paper ‘Achieving Safe Justice for Victims of crime’ that addresses the question on what makes the criminal justice system safe for victims and sets out recommendations on better path forward for criminal justice. What is presented in the paper articulates a vision that can form the core of a new, forward-looking model for safe justice systems in the EU.

Given that the European Commission has announced a possible proposal for a revision of the Victims’ Rights Directive by March 2023, we believe it is key to seize the momentum to “go to the point” and put forward the solutions to the existing problems. This revision is indeed essential because it has the power to strengthen existing rights, establish clearer obligations for Member States and new rights for victims. Fundamentally, our responses to this should involve physical and mental health measures, criminal sanctions, economic cohesion, and safe justice, all elements brought together by our new policy and discussion papers.

The campaign is a series of actions that brings VSE members and partners together to develop narratives on how the EU and Member States can better contribute to the advancement of victim support.

2. Problem statement and justification

Victims of crime often express the need for justice; for many, access to justice will depend on their participation in the criminal justice system. In theory, various judicial reforms at the European and national levels have increased the rights of victims in relation to the criminal justice process; in practice, however, their active participation remains a challenge. Victims encounter practical problems and barriers when attempting to take part in the criminal justice system, they may also be unnecessarily harmed during judicial proceedings.

To that end, Victim Support Europe is going to launch their new discussion paper “Safe Justice for Victims of Crime” that introduces the innovative concept of safe justice. This paper’s intention is to introduce a preliminary definition of and to initiate discussion on safe justice. For the purpose of this paper, Victim Support Europe postulates that safe justice is a ‘holistic, systematic, needs-driven, rights-based, victim-sensitive approach to justice which ensures the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of the victim. Safe justice includes topics on empowerment and participation, protection measures, prevention of repeat victimisation, respectful treatment, and the minimisation of harm at every stage of the process, thus benefitting the justice system as a whole and supporting the creation of a fairer, safer society’.

3. Aim and goals

The aim of the campaign is to take the debate forward and explore the fundamentals of achieving safe justice system.

The principles of safe justice and its application in practice will be outlined, followed by a consideration of what it may offer victims of crime. The aim of this discussion is therefore to explore the possibilities and to present approaches which may better serve victims and the community.

This campaign will provide an opportunity for leading experts from different professional backgrounds (victim advocates, academics, victim support workers, policy makers, judges, prosecutors) to examine notions of justice, the role assigned to victims in criminal proceedings and how the implementation of victims’ rights impacts that role. We also reflect on the needs of victims following a crime and how crime affects victims; and, finally, we will address victim-centric approaches to the practical barriers faced by victims. We will subsequently explore what is required to make our criminal justice systems truly effective.

4. Target audience

• EU-level: European law enforcement and judiciary, civil society organization representatives and academia
• National level: VSE members and stakeholders (victims and victim support community), national law enforcement and judiciary

5. Questions raised

• How to give victims a more powerful voice at every stage of the criminal justice system?
• How to increase transparency and redress in respect of the support that victims receive in practice?
• How to ensure that every criminal justice agency is properly held to account for its role in the wider system?
• How to better protect victims, to give them greater confidence about giving the testimony that can help to secure a conviction.

6. Mode of execution

The campaign will be built upon two segments.

Segment 1 is the policy segment, a high-level event ‘Achieving Safe Justice for Victims of Crime’ to be held on the 22 February 2023 in Brussels, in which the new VSE’s discussion paper ‘Safe Justice for Victims of crime’ will be launched and communicated to the policy makers followed by the discussion on what is required to make our criminal justice systems truly effective.

Segment 2 is a digital campaign that will last throughout the year 2023.