The European Network on Victims’ Rights (ENVR) and the European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) co-hosted the study visit from 8 to 9 October in Leuven and Brussels, focusing on how restorative justice can practically foster victims’ resilience.
The initiative, co-funded by the European Union’s Justice Programme, provided international delegates with direct exposure to established operational frameworks through a series of expert presentations:
- Belgian legal framework: Legal experts outlined local restorative justice structures and their alignment with the amended EU Victims’ Rights Directive.
- Prosecution and mediation: Representatives from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brussels delivered briefings on distinct operational pathways for both adult and juvenile offenders.
- Multidisciplinary infrastructure: Specialists detailed community-level practices and the structural, cross-sector collaboration needed to manage sensitive, complex victim support cases.
Organizers extend a sincere appreciation to the expert speakers who drove the program’s substance, including representatives from KU Leuven, Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brussels, Retissons du Lien, Mediante, Moderator, ALBA, CAW, and the House of Justice (Brussels and Leuven).
By showcasing these field-tested models, the study visit reinforced the value of cross-border knowledge transfers in building victim-centred criminal justice systems across Europe.
