On Tuesday 8th November, a full-day European seminar in Bilbao (Spain) brought together criminal justice professionals, restorative justice practitioners, law enforcement agencies, victim support workers, and civil society organisations, to improve victim support responses to hate-motivated and extremism-related harm. The event was organised under the VicTory initiative and included participants from Spain, Portugal, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Belgium, and Northern Ireland. The objective of this seminar was to improve multi-agency cooperation in victim support, where professionals shared experiences from their own countries and worked jointly to develop practical and cross-country solutions in victim support.
Experts identified multi-agency cooperation as a key area for improvement, particularly for victims of hate crime and violent extremism. Such victims often have specific needs, experiencing the harm done to them as an attack on their perceived identity. A well-functioning multi-agency model, with clear standards and protocols, is therefore essential to prevent secondary victimisation. Moreover, hate-motivated incidents can impact not only the victim that was targeted, but the entire community in which the incident took place. Consequently, coordinated responses have a more positive impact with they also address these broader effects but also strengthens social trust and ensures that the rights and needs of victims remain at the centre.
The event, held at the Bizkaia Aretoa, University of the Basque Country, also showcased new initiatives and approaches being developed by the transnational partnership to enhance access to support, information, and safe reporting routes for victims affected by hate and extremist incidents.
The presentations opened the space for a secure and collective reflection at the state of victim support across partner countries. Speakers outlined the lessons taken from the national workshops held earlier in the project, including what victims need at the first point of contact and where services face the biggest challenges.
Strengthening Victim Support
Restorative justice was a key discussion theme, starting with a roundtable with the project’s external expert advisory board, including representatives from the European Forum for Restorative Justice, and the Spanish Judicial Network for International Cooperation (REJUE). Speakers shared examples of european restorative justice initiatives, lessons learnt, and the importance of this model for victims and perpetrators.
Experts underlined that restorative justice can help victims regain a sense of control and when it may not be suitable. The conversation pointed to the complexity of implementing and applying restorative practices in contrast with the linearity of the general justice system, as a difficulty to overcome. In a question-and-answer format, participants were able to engage in this discussion, raising concerns, sharing their own country’s practices, and deepening conversations about restorative justice in the context of hate or war crimes.
Presenting the main findings from the VicTory National Cooperation Workshops held in each partner country, the project coordinators at the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies identified national measures that could be used more widely and in other regions. The discussion also covered shortcomings in current systems, such as fragmentation of services and institutional silos, legal gaps and unclear definitions, lack of professional specialised training, and difficulty in ensuring inclusion and adequate representation.
Fostering collaboration in the field of victim support was another of the central themes of the day. Involving justice services, civil society groups, and victim support services, the discussions explored how cross-sector ties can improve policy work and field assistance. Participants split into mixed-country groups to work on potential cross-border ideas. The topics included the conditions needed for smooth cooperation between agencies, first contact with victims, ways to offer support that fits their needs, and the role of justice responses.
Another conclusion shared by different participants regarding how to work from a victim-centred approach was the importance to guarantee the informed self-determination right of victims and to build a secure space to avoid second victimization ensuring proper risk assessment and support based on radical hearing.
These discussions will feed into VicTory’s planned resources, including the multi-agency cooperation framework due for release in 2026. The seminar also gave space to present the tools that are already available for victims and practitioners, such as the Handbook on Good Practices, the online training courses, and the Information Repository, which provides a detailed source of information for both groups.
The event closed with a call to maintain the pace of the work. Partners will continue refining these tools and preparing the upcoming ones, drawing on the feedback gathered from practitioners during the seminar.
About the VicTory Project
Despite growing concern across Europe, many victims of hate-motivated harm and violent extremism do not report these incidents, often due to fear, stigma, or mistrust in institutions. The VicTory project, a transnational initiative funded by the European Union with two of the partners, IPS_Innovative Prison Systems (Portugal) and the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies (FUNDEA, Spain), also involved in the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation, addresses this challenge by adopting a victim-centred, restorative-led approach. Its goal is to ensure victims receive the support they need and to empower them to participate actively in the recovery process.
The VicTory project – Restorative and victim-centred approach to mitigate hate and (violent) extremism – brings together partners from five countries, including organisations working in victim support, restorative justice, policing, and research, all collaborating to improve multi-agency cooperation and victims’ access to services.
Through a victim-centred approach, which puts the needs, rights, and experiences of victims first, VicTory helps professionals from governmental and non-governmental organisations apply EU legislation and victims’ rights standards effectively. Its restorative-led framework focuses on repairing harm, giving victims a voice, and fostering accountability among those involved. It is designed to prevent secondary victimisation, that is, the additional trauma victims may experience due to insensitive or inadequate responses from institutions.
The project also focuses on enhancing the skills and collaboration of practitioners, including criminal justice professionals, victim support workers, and case managers, so that victims of hate crimes and extremism-related incidents receive better support, guidance, and protection, while ensuring that legislation and best practices are applied consistently across borders.
