The Portuguese Association for Victim Support and ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) Portugal signed in Lisbon, on May 17th, a protocol which firms institutional cooperation between these two entities, within the scope of the rights, protection and support to victims of crime and violence.

The signature was held precisely on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The protocol will enable mutual collaboration in actions and projects of victim support, joint technical support and the promotion of specialized services for victims with special protection and support needs.

Through the LGBT Center and LGBT Victim Support Service (telephone and information line), ILGA Portugal has been supporting victims of violence, hate crimes and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity for many years.

APAV will promote the Conference Hate no More: support to victims of hate crime, taking place in Lisbon, September 26th, at the Auditorium of Campus da Justiça.

Hate motivated crime and violence are a gross attempt to the most basic fundamental rights which affects not only the victim but also the community the victim belongs to and society at large.

Hate crimes are highly unreported because of structural, practical and, above all, social barriers faced by its victims. Furthermore, authorities have difficulties in identifying the hate motive underlying an offence which can jeopardize the correct classification of the crime as a hate crime and, consequently, the adequate support provided to and the recovery process of its victims. Finally, there is still little understanding and a great lack of awareness among society and within vulnerable communities concerning hate motivated violence and crime.

Project Hate no More aims at addressing these issues by creating raising awareness tools and multidisciplinary training for professionals, in order to improve the overall response mechanisms of the criminal justice system to current victims’ needs.

At Hate no More final conference invited speakers will discuss the more pressing issues related to the rights and needs of victims of hate crime and hate speech. Participants will also have the possibility to attend different workshops which focus on the interactions with particular groups of people which are more vulnerable to hate crimes, as well as on the investigation of these types of crime.

Information and registration:
apav.pt/hatenomore

APAV has developed a new awareness campaign on support for Migrant and Discrimination Victims. The campaign is based on the motto "Living in a climate of fear is like living in a prison". The awareness campaign was creatively developed by the communication agency Lima-Limão.

APAV promoted the 15th Solidarity Running Race at May 26th 2018, in Lisbon.

This year, the event went under a radical transformation: instead of the traditional Sunday run by the riverside, the race turned into a night event on another prime areas of the city of Lisbon, starting from the University Rectory and passing through the University Campus, Campo Grande and Entrecampos.

Besides the traditional 10 kilometer race, which was highly participated, another edition of the March of the Families (a 5 kilometer non-competitive walk) took place.

The 15th edition of APAV’s Solidarity Race was organized by Xistarca, with the sponsorship of EPAL and the support of The Lisbon City Council and Dom Pedro Hotels.

All the photos are here: bit.ly/2LGoueM.

corridadesolidariedade.org