Training on the EU Victims Directive: legal, practical and psychological aspects

September 5, 2018

At the end of August, HRMI held a series of trainings for legal practitioners on the EU Victims Directive and the legal and practical novelties it brought to the Lithuanian legal system. The trainings were held as part of the EU funded project „Developing an EU training module for Victims‘ Directive“.

The training was delivered by experienced professionals working in the field of criminal law, victimology and psychology. The first session delivered by the Supreme Court judge Rima Ažubalytė focused on the legal changes introduced by the Directive. During this session, the trainer and participants discussed the new rights granted to victims by the Directive and the developing practice in this area.

The second session was delivered by victimologist Rokas Uscila, who introduced the participants to the victimological aspects of the Directive. During this session, participants discussed the basic needs of victims in the proceedings, the effects of the crime on victims and basic principles of sensitive and professional interviewing of victims.

The third session that took place on the second day of the training focused on psychological aspects of the implementation of the Victims‘ Directive. Psychologist Ksenija Čunichina introduced the participants to sensitive and effective techniques of interviewing underage victims, victims of sexual crimes, victims of domestic violence and victims with disability.

The training was attended by 20 prosecutors, 19 judges and 16 lawyers, coming from various regions of the country. After the training, participants were asked to asses whether the training has improved their knowledge of the Directive and its various aspects. The absolute majority of the participants were very satisfied and found the training practical and useful for their work.

The training was held with financial support from the European Union Justice Programme.