Presentation from VSE annual conference 2017

1. Maatu Arkio
Coordinator for Web and Youth Services
Reaching out to and
supporting young people
VICTIM SUPPORT FINLAND

2. 15.6.2017
 Guide and support for crime victims, their close ones
and witnesses of crime
 Funded by the Ministry of Justice, the Funding Centre
for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA)
and local municipalities
 Based on a cooperation agreement by 5 NGOs and
the Church
 Nationally co-ordinated by the Finnish Association for
Mental Health
 Resources
 ca 50 persons as permanently paid staff (some part-time)
 over 400 trained volunteers
 30 voluntary lawyers (Legal Advice Help Line)
Victim Support Finland,
Support through cooperation

3. Criminal justice process
15.6.2017

4. Clients 2016
 Victims of intimate partner violence and domestic
violence 32 %
 Victims on sexual violence (adults and children)
15 %
 Victims of other assaults 11 %
 Cases related to restraining orders 8 %
 Victims of harassment and emotional abuse 16 %
 Victims of property crimes 6 %
 Other crimes 12 %
15.6.2017

5. 21.5.2014 5
Different tasks all aiming at supporting victims of crime
INFLUENCING
EDUCATION FOR
Professionals
Students
Volunteers
MATERIAL
Crime victim handbook
RIKU-magazine & Newsletter
Guides and leaflets
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
Traditional media and social media
Brochures and posters
Public events
DEVELOPMENT
Legislative drafting and research work
Governmental/regional/local working
groups (incl. security programmes)
Partner projects, initiatives
International co-operation
SERVICES PROJECTS
PHONE AND INTERNET
Helpline
Legal advice helpline
On-lin chat service
Website (www.riku.fi)
Advice for discrimination victims
CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICE
Personal support and advice
Support person
Professionally steered peer support groups
Consultations
OUTREACH WORK
Visitor activities: police stations, courts,
shelters, crisis centers or social networks
Suomi24 online
Public events
YOUTH PROJECT 2012-2017
Effective and targeted communication for
young victims of crime so that they can
get help and support. Focus on web
based services.
Education for professionals so that they
can identify and support young victims.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 2014-2018
Volunteering services and peer support
for victims of domestic violence.
Implemented in eastern Finland.
VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING 2015-17
NGO based assistance for victims of
trafficking. Case work, advocacy,
networking.
VISITOR ACTIVITY AT COURTS
2016-2018
Support for wittnesses and victims by
volunteers who visit the courts during
trials.
STATEMENTS & EVENTS
Active volunteers involved

6. Project for young victims of crime
2012-2017
 Do not know their rights or recognize the crime
 Are ashamed and deliberately try to forget
 Are afraid of telling about the crime
 Feel that they have earned a penalty
 Want to protect their parents
 Do not trust adults
15.6.2017
Nuoret rikoksen uhrit
(Crime victims, A. Karmen, 2013)

7. Needs assessment to young,
professionals, VSF employees and
volunteers
 Young people would tell to a friend if they would end up as a
victim of a crime
 They would search information from the internet or ask
someone close to them
 They want the information to be in the shape of text or a short
film
15.6.2017

8. ”…Did so horrible things and got so little…
so you start to understate your own experiences and to think if there
is any point in making a report of an sex offence …sentences for
these crimes are so minor…”
15.6.2017 8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
School welfare
officer/nurse
Teacher Parents Friend Crime victim
support
None of
these
I wouldn't tell
anyone
To whom it would be easiest to talk about sexual assault? (N=437)
%

9. Have you told anyone about the dating
violence that you have experienced?
15.6.2017 9
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
No, I haven´t
told no one
I would like to,
but I am too afraid
Yes,
to my fiend
Yes, I told
to my parents
Yes, I told
someone else

10. 15.6.2017 10
Do not tell anyone

11. ”…If I would end up as a victim of crime while I
was drunk, I don´t know if I would seek for
help..."
15.6.2017 11
0
50
100
150
200
250
Yes No Maybe I cannot say
If you would end up a crime victim while drunk,
would it affect your ways of reporting the crime?
(N=676)

12. 12
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
What is
crime?
How to report
an offense?
For what
do I need
legal advice?
Where can
I get
legal aid?
What happens
in court?
How does
the criminal
procedure go?
When and how
is
conciliation
done?
12-13 years old (N= 34) 14-16 years old (N= 93) 16-20 years old (N= 42)
Young people wanted information about

13. 13
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Physical and mental
symptoms
When is the right
time to get help?
Information about
places where to get help
How to encourage a
friend to seek help?
12-13 years old (N= 34) 14-16 years old (N= 93) 16-20 years old (N= 42)
What information should be
Included on the webpages?

14. Knowledge, skills and support 3 Aims:
situation before and now
1. Aim to develop an effective and targeted
communication for young victims of crime
so that they can get help and support
 Chat, webpages and social media
activity
14

15. Chat
 The idea is to give information, advice and some help through
conversation
 Aim is to direct the customers to face-to-face help and support
 The service covers the whole country
 The possibility to chat anonymously means a lot
 The whole staff and the interested volunteers have been trained to
work in the chat
 At the moment we are developing automatic feedback system
under the Project T@LK - online support for victims of crime,
promoted by the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV)
and co-financed by the Justice Programme of the
European Union
15.6.2017 15

16. ”Yeah…I was a 14 years old crime victim and I didn´t
know what to do… I never reported to the police but I
am working through it now in therapy ”
15.6.2017 16
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Anonymous
chat
Helpline Face to face
meeting
Email None of
these
What would be the easiest way to start
a conversation about sexual violence?
(N=437)
%

17. What would be the most difficult situation to start
telling about the sexual assault?
15.6.2017 17
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Peer of the
same age
Known
adult
Unknown
peer
Unknown
adult
I haven't had
experience of
sexual assault
When the sex offender would be...
%

18. 15.6.2017

19. Now:
15.6.2017
Tests, blog
writings and
advertising
Webpages, social
media and videos
Chat every weekday 9-15 and
mondays 17-19

20. Now:
Before the project the young customers came to the services
through their parents
Now we can offer services to youth that has not yet told about
the crime to their parents or to the youth that does not have
courage to tell anyone about the experience
15.6.2017

21. 2. Education for professionals so that they
can recognize and support young victims
of crime
 5 seminars nationwide
 Articles in magazines
 Attendance at the professionals fairs
15.6.2017

22. Now: Methods for professional on how to
discuss criminal matters with young people
5 thematic packages:
 What is violence in a dating relationship? - Thinking about
identifying your own borders
 The severity of physical violence and the importance of
speaking about experiences
 Identifying a sexual offense and the importance of seeking
help
 Violence in the family can be discussed – What does getting
help mean?
 Do we recognize offenses in schools as crimes?
15.6.2017

23. Feedback of the materials from youth, N80
 Did you learn something new?
 What grade would you give? 1 worse 5 best
15.6.2017
1 2 3 4 5 In total Average
Video 1 3 12 28 36 80 4,19
Criminal process video 0 0 0 0 0 0
The material in general 1 0 13 26 39 79 4,29
In total 2 3 25 54 75 159 4,24

24. Feedback of the materials from teachers
15.6.2017
Average
Video 4,33
Criminal process video 4,6
The material in general 4,57
In total 4,5

25. 3. During the project the services of VSF will
also be developed in order to better answer
the needs of young people
 All paid staff and volunteers attended courses on children's
and young people's development and what it means when
they end up as a victims of a crime
 More flexibility with young customers and our own regulations
Now:
The course is part of a volunteers basic training
All the courses are done by the paid staff not by the project
Volunteers and paid staff work in chat service
15.6.2017

26. Thank you
maatu.arkio@riku.fi
15.6.2017