EU Projects

We are pleased to share our newsletter!

Please see the newsletter in both English and Swedish below.

Human Rights Lawyers invites you to the international conference “Protecting the Rights of Crime Victims” on May 22, 2026, at Uppsala University. The conference is organized in collaboration with several organizations within the EU, as well as Uppsala University’s UFOLD (Uppsala University Forum for Research on Drug and Substance Dependence), the Church of Sweden, and Samariterhemmet—within the framework of the EU project CEPOV, which aims to strengthen cooperation between different professional groups and improve support for victims of crime.

Throughout the day, lawyers and other professionals from Sweden, Romania, Italy, and Germany will gather to discuss topics such as access to legal support, communication with crime victims, and interprofessional collaboration. The conference will take place from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Uppsala University, Blåsenhus, Bertil Hammer Hall, but can also be followed digitally via Zoom. The program includes presentations, panel discussions, and an opportunity for questions. The event is organized with support from the European Commission and is aimed at anyone who works with or is interested in victims’ rights.

We look forward to seeing you on May 22, 2026, in Uppsala, Blåsenhus, Bertil Hammer Hall, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Free admission!

We are pleased to share our national report, which was produced as part of the project “Addressing the gap in multidisciplinary cooperation to enhance the protection of victims’ rights” (CEPOV), funded by the European Commission.

Through this publication, our goal has been to present the current situation regarding victims’ access to legal aid, the difficulties that arise in practice, and recommendations for how the current situation can be improved.

Please see our national report in both English and Swedish below.

Retrospective at our conference – October 8–9

Now that we have reached another milestone in the project, we would like to share details about our conference, which was organized as part of the EU project “Addressing the gap in multidisciplinary cooperation to enhance the protection of victims’ rights” (CEPOV), aimed at strengthening the protection of victims’ rights.

On October 8–9, we held a conference at Kulturpunkten in Gottsunda Centrum in Uppsala.

During the conference, we welcomed participants with diverse expertise in the field. We offered lectures, workshops, Q&A sessions, and discussions throughout the day.

The participants contributed valuable perspectives, and we had many fruitful discussions.

We would like to extend a big thank you to all participants and guests for your commitment!

If you would like more information about our conference, please take a look at out our newsletter below.

Location: Kulturpunkten in Gottsunda Centrum, Uppsala

Date: October 8–9

Time: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; participants may choose individual lectures or workshops

We are pleased to invite you to an important conference on the theme: How can we work together to prevent crime and strengthen victims’ rights?

The conference is being held as part of the EU project Addressing the gap in multidisciplinary cooperation to enhance the protection of victims’ rights (CEPOV). The aim is to strengthen the protection of victims’ rights through collaboration between the judiciary, academia, civil society, and other stakeholders.

CEPOV - Addressing the gap in multidisciplinary cooperation to enhance the protection of victims’ rights
Between 11 and 12 February 2025 a Task forece meeting was organized in Bucharest as part of the CEPOV project, focusing on Addressing the Gap in Multidisciplinary Cooperation to Enhance the Protection of Victims' Rights.

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Justice Programme of the European Union by the Association Pro Refugiu, the University of Bucharest (Faculty of Law), Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights, University Roma Tre, Solwodi Germany and Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers.

A total of 27 participants from Italy, Romania, Germany and Sweden participated, including lawyers, prosecutors, judges, social workers, psychologists and other professionals of institutions and organizations focused on the protection of victims' rights.

The project partners elaborated a Roadmap for enhancing multidisciplinary cooperation in terms of identification, referral, assistance and protection for victims of crime. The purpose of the publication is to provide guidance on the procedures that should be used by organisations and institutions that have responsibilities in the identification, referral and assistance of victims, as well as those that have specific competencies in the trial procedures.

Furthermore the discussions focused on victims of human trafficking, victims of gender-based violence and victims of cybercrime. The debates revealed substantial gaps in policy implementation and enforcement across the project countries and a set of recommendations were made.

CEPOV - Addressing the gap in multidisciplinary cooperation to enhance the protection of victims’ rights

Between 4 and 5 December 2024 a Task forece meeting was organized in Rome as part of the CEPOV project, focusing on Addressing the Gap in Multidisciplinary Cooperation to Enhance the Protection of Victims' Rights.

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Justice Programme of the European Union by the Association Pro Refugiu, the University of Bucharest (Faculty of Law), Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights, University Roma Tre, Solwodi Germany and Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers.

A total of 33 participants from Italy, Romania, Germany and Sweden participated, including lawyers, academics, social workers, psychologists and representatives of institutions and organizations focused on the protection of victims' rights.

The discussions focused on the existing legislation and strategies to protect victims' rights and access to justice, as well as the difficulties in accessing assistance for victims.

March 2017 – November 2019

Goal
The aim of this project was to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation to ensure effective remittance, assistance, protection of the rights of victims of trafficking in human beings and to improve victims of trafficking in human beings during the rehabilitation process and access to their rights. To design and promote a cross-border strategy for legal aid in / between different countries of origin

November 2017 – June 2019

Goal
The aim of this project was to strengthen the position of victims in the judiciary by exchanging best practices and transferring expertise as well as cross-border networks. During the project, the partners will design and promote tools that ensure that victims of violence receive help and know their rights when they gain access to the judiciary.

February 2017 – June 2018

Goal
The aim of this project was to increase the number of health / legal / social professionals who can provide specialized assistance in a culturally sensitive way to refugees, strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation between health and legal professionals in the EU, ensure knowledge transfer, best practices for inclusive integration programs among several EU countries, improves the integration process for refugees in the EU’s host society.

November 2016 – May 2018

Goal
The aim of this project was to strengthen the legal knowledge of Romanian and Bulgarian lawyers, cooperate with prosecutors and judges to protect victims of human trafficking in court proceedings according to EU normative acts and increase knowledge of different legal systems among Member States (Romania-Bulgaria-Sweden-Germany) .