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Inclusive Digital Repository by VicTory to Centralise Knowledge on Support for Victims of Hate Crimes and Extremism

The consortium of the European project VicTory, coordinated by the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies in Granada, has launched its Information Repository (information-repository.victoryproject.eu) on its website to support victims of hate crimes and extremism. This digital platform was created with the mission of becoming a leading resource library in Europe for the protection and support of victims of violent extremism and hate crimes.

The repository is a key infrastructure for facilitating victims’ rapid access to specialized contact points and support services, as well as ensuring that the knowledge generated during the project is easily accessible to legal professionals, law enforcement agencies, academics, and third-sector organizations across Europe. The platform has been designed to provide a smooth user experience, allowing users to filter information by country, types of crime, and professional profiles.

Among the core contents of this repository are an up-to-date compilation of legal frameworks and case law on victims’ rights at both European and national levels, as well as best-practice guides featuring examples of successful interventions in restorative justice and psychosocial support. The platform also provides direct access to specialized training materials, including the technical manual Manual of Best Practices and Promising Practices (in English) and informational flyers specifically designed to guide the work of justice professionals and social sector workers.

The VicTory project, funded by the European Commission’s Justice Programme, recognizes that mitigating violent extremism necessarily requires proper support for its victims. The repository not only documents the past, but also offers tools for prevention and awareness-raising to help avoid the escalation of violence and to protect social cohesion in vulnerable communities.

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VicTory: First Exchange Event to Combat Hate and Extremism in Europe

The European project VicTory has successfully concluded its first Experience and Exchange Training Event, held from February 10th to 12th, 2026. Over three intensive days, professionals from five partner countries gathered to comprehensively address the worrying rise in intolerance and its impact on victimization.

The meeting brought together a multidisciplinary group composed of victim support professionals—specifically those working with victims of hate crimes—judicial authorities, and civil society prevention experts.

Support for Victims of Hate Crimes and Violent Extremism with a Rights-Based Perspective

Throughout the three-day program, participants discussed comprehensive strategies to support victims of hate crimes and violent extremism, highlighting the importance of a person-centered approach oriented toward restorative justice.

In a joint session led by Rascha Albaba, a researcher from the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, and the Ararteko (Ombudsman of the Basque Country), it was emphasized that victims should not be reduced solely to their status as victims: they are human beings with fundamental rights, and all support services must guarantee their dignity and safety.

The sessions emphasized the implementation of a human rights-based approach, explaining how victims’ rights are protected under international frameworks and within the European Union. Professionals were provided with existing mechanisms through which they can indirectly reinforce this protection at an international level. Additionally, practical “dos and don’ts” guidelines for victim care were provided to avoid causing further harm (secondary victimization) during the reporting and recovery processes.

The Ararteko delved into the role of key institutions in protecting victims’ rights, presenting concrete examples of restorative justice that balance the reparation of harm with the safety and well-being of those affected.

Theory and Practice in Action

The sessions combined theory and practice, including a site visit to the Rete di Dafne project in Palazzolo. There, participants observed how community networks transform vulnerability into strength by providing support, validation, and security to victims. This holistic approach demonstrated how collaboration between professionals and communities can significantly improve the protection and accompaniment of victims of hate crimes and extremist violence. The event was characterized by its human focus, allowing participants to hear real testimonies from both victims of extremism and individuals who had caused harm.

Next Steps for the VicTory Project

VicTory is an international initiative that seeks to improve responses to hate and extremism through cooperation between judicial, law enforcement, and victim support actors. With an approach based on the victim and restorative justice, it promotes a safer and more resilient Europe.

This event in Brescia marks the beginning of a series of three exchange meetings planned within the project. The participation of the Euro-Arab Foundation in these forums reinforces its position as a leader in applied research and training regarding the prevention of extremist violence and the protection of human rights—even for the most vulnerable—proving that in the face of transnational challenges, the solution must be shared and coordinated.

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Initial Session of the VicTory Course, Focused on Victims and Restorative Justice

Last week, the introductory session of the VicTory project’s online training took place. In the online meeting, the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, as the coordinator of the VicTory project, actively participated in the introductory session of the online training, welcoming participants and presenting the comprehensive victim-centered and restorative justice approach that characterizes the project. During the session, the purpose and scope of the training were explained, combining an online course with in-person exchange events, and the importance of the work of professionals who provide justice and empowerment to victims every day was emphasised.

The session also offered participants the opportunity to get to know each other better and begin building networks of collaboration among professionals from different European countries, fostering constructive and enriching exchanges. It was highlighted that criminal justice and victim support go beyond legal and institutional procedures, and that training professionals working in this field is essential to ensure effective and humane assistance.

The Digital Dimension of Harm and Training for Victim Support Professionals

For many people affected by hate crimes or extremism, the harm does not end with the incident itself. This is particularly evident in digital environments, where the ongoing circulation of images, narratives, comments, or threats can prolong suffering, increasing distress and uncertainty beyond the original event. However, despite the growing prevalence of this reality, victims often face these digital aftereffects with limited information and uneven support. Professionals may lack up-to-date knowledge about online risks, particularly regarding the interaction of generative artificial intelligence and algorithmic biases, while digital platforms face challenges in moderating “gray” content and removing it effectively.

Despite these challenges, victim support professionals consulted within the VicTory project emphasize that the digital world can also offer opportunities to improve victim safety, recovery, and reporting, helping to reduce secondary harm. Therefore, the VicTory project highlights the need for clearer professional practices and greater institutional awareness that recognizes the digital dimension of harm, ensuring that information, support, and protective measures are available both in-person and online. This is one of the topics covered in our online training course.

Registration and participation in the online training remain open. This training is aimed at professionals working in the field of support for victims of hate crimes and violent extremism in Europe and is available in Spanish, English, and other languages. Interested individuals can register and obtain more information through the following link: https://lnkd.in/dFysTwaS

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Online training on hate, extremism and victim-centred solutions

The European project VicTory Project – Restorative and victim-centred approach to mitigate hate and (violent) extremism, in which the Euro-Arab Foundation takes part as a partner, is developing two free online courses adapted to the most up-to-date knowledge and current challenges, to train professionals who support victims of hate and extremism.

The objective is to ensure that professionals working with cases of hate and extremism —including law enforcement, judicial personnel, prison and probation staff, case managers, and victim support staff— can implement a victim-centred approach, applying effective techniques and legally sound procedures aimed at restorative justice. If you reside in Italy, Finland, Hungary, Portugal, or Spain, you can register via the link! Registrations from other countries are also accepted.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFysTwaS

They will inform you of the course dates later.

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News Projects victory

Seminar ‘Women and Restorative Justice. Reparation from a Gender Perspective’.

This seminar is part of the European VicTory project whose work focuses on understanding and tackling (violent) extremism and hatred in a holistic, victim-centred way, seeking to ensure that victims’ rights are respected and secondary victimisation is avoided.

Funded by the European Commission’s E-Justice, the project identifies existing legislation, protocols, practices and initiatives around victim support in Europe, with the aim of examining their effectiveness and challenges, especially whether there are those tailored to victims of incidents related to hate and violent extremism, taking into account the perspective of victims, as well as examining other initiatives focused on supporting different types of victims, which can be transferable and adaptable.

VicTory also promotes and guides the implementation of restorative practices, with the aim of raising awareness and empowering practitioners, communities and victims themselves to successfully engage in them, thereby improving victims’ access to justice and key support.

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A new European project led by the Euro-Arab Foundation will boost restorative justice

The headquarters of the Euro-Arab Foundation in Granada hosted this Thursday the inaugural meeting of VicTory, a project funded by the European Commission, which over the next two years will work to mitigate hate and violent extremism from a restorative approach focused on the victims.

The Euro-Arab Foundation will lead the project with seven other European entities: the Basque Country Ombudsman’s Office – Ararteko, the University of Porto, Innovative Prison Systems – IPS, the association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Intervention – ILGA, the association Carcere e Territorio di Brescia, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee for the Protection ofhttps://projects.fundea.org/en/victory-2/ Human Rights and the think-tank MAP Finland for research on interactions between diverse communities and societies.

VicTory is designed to promote restorative justice as a key tool to repair the harm caused by hate crime and violent extremism and facilitate reconciliation. It will seek to broaden public awareness, highlight the need to listen to the needs of victims, provide greater access to information to support victims and practitioners and, for the latter, offer them greater preparation. All this, from a perspective of multi-agency cooperation that is embodied in the very nature of the entities that make up the project consortium.

Specific objectives of VicTory

The first objective of VicTory is to create a victim-centred approach to support victims of hate crime and violent extremism and incidents related to (violent) extremism. The second objective is to improve the effective and consistent implementation of legislation and good practices, such as restorative ones, to uphold victims’ rights and mitigate secondary victimisation. The third and final objective is to improve the skills, intervention, support and cooperation of key professionals, i.e. criminal justice practitioners, victim support workers and case managers, when working with victims of hate crime and incidents related to (violent) extremism.

VicTory responds to the priority of the European Union’s call to contribute to the effective and consistent implementation of European legislation in the field of crime victims‘ rights in line with the priorities set by the EU Strategy on Victims’ Rights (2020-2025).