Center for the study of democracy

The Center for the Study of Democracy is a multi-disciplinary think tank combining a broad range of capacities – economic, legal and regulatory analyses, criminological research and policy development, anti-corruption strategies and practices, policy expertise in European integration, and institution building. Established in 1990, CSD is a non-partisan, independent organization fostering the reform process in Bulgaria through impact on policy and institutional development. As the premier Bulgarian think tank, CSD hosts numerous domestic and international conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions on current policy issues.

The Sociological program, at the CSD, has a track record of research projects in key socio-economic fields at the national and European levels. Furthermore, in the recent years, the program consolidated its position as a department with research potential in the fields of migration studies and developed methods and indicators to assess the results and impacts of policies for the integration of migrants. With its substantive knowledge of policy areas directly related to integration, in 2010 and 2011 the Sociological Program expanded its scope of expertise by extending its analyses and research to other vulnerable groups and minorities

Brottsoffermyndigheten

The overall aim of the Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority is to look after the rights of all crime victims and to draw public attention to their needs and interests.

The authority is nationally responsible for three areas of activities: dealing with matters concerning criminal injuries compensation; administering the Crime Victims Fund; and serving as a Centre of Competence.

Criminal Injuries Compensation
A person who has been subjected to crime may be entitled to criminal injuries compensation, if the offender is unable to pay damages and there is no insurance covering the injuries arising from the crime. This compensation is financed through tax revenue and is primarily intended to compensate for personal injuries, which can be both psychological and physical injuries arising from the crime. Some examples of what might be compensated are: expenses for medical treatment; pain and suffering; loss of income; and permanent injuries such as scars or impaired hearing.

There are also a number of criminal acts which entitle a person to compensation for violation of personal integrity. The right to this kind of compensation applies when the crime is considered to be a serious violation of your personal integrity, your private life, and human dignity. Almost all cases of human trafficking as well as sexual assault entitle a person to such compensation. Likewise, this is often the case with assault, unlawful threatening, robbery, and a breach of a restraining order.

The authority is each year handling about 10 000 applications and paying out about 10 million SEK as criminal injuries compensation.

Crime Victim Fund
The purpose of the Fund is to provide economic support to projects and activities aimed at improving the situation for crime victims. These projects and activities can be initiated by researchers, NGOs, public bodies, and others dealing with problems concerning crime victims in their profession.

The Fund is financed by money from convicted offenders. All offenders convicted for an offence punishable by a prison sentence are liable to pay a lump sum of 500 SEK to the Fund. In addition, money is channeled from persons who serve a sentence through electronic supervision.

The Crime Victim Fund is each year handling about 35 million SEK.

Centre of Competence
In its role as Centre of Competence for crime victim issues, the authority informs victims, professionals, and the public on matters regarding victims of crime. It produces information material, such as folders, leaflets and reports, in Swedish as well as in other languages. The authority arranges seminars and training for professionals within the criminal justice system, NGOs, staff in health care, and social services, as well as conferences for researchers.

The authority also administers Rättegångsskolan, a web-based training material on how the criminal justice process works and how a trial is run in Sweden. An English version is found on www.courtintroduction.se. The authority’s website is www.brottsoffermyndigheten.se

CENSIS

Censis, Centre for Social Studies and Policies, is a socio-economic research institute founded in 1964. In 1973, with support from major public and private bodies, it became a foundation recognized by Presidential Decree no. 712 (11/10/1973). For more than forty years, Censis has provided research, consulting, evaluation, and proposals in the basic sectors of society, including training, labour, welfare, territorial networks, environment, economy, local and urban development, public administration, media and culture. Research is commissioned primarily by Ministries, Regions, Provinces, Municipalities, Chambers of Commerce, business and professional associations, banks, private companies, network managers, and international organisations, as well as various European Union programmes.

Over the years, Censis’ activity and cultural presence has earned it a recognised role and authority, as indicated by growing appreciation by economic and social observers, entrepreneurs and institutional actors, and by both the Italian and foreign press.

Censis conducts more than 60 research projects annually for a wide variety of clients, mostly from the business world.

Censis main areas of interest are: Education, both scholastic and university, and training evaluation – The labour market, including the underground economy, professions, and representation systems – Health and welfare, including pension and social policy – Local development and economic processes, including transportation and logistics – Territory, real estate, and peripheral institutions – Evolving cultural policies and models, with special attention to children and immigration.

Censis has published an annual report on the social state of the nation ever since 1966), providing an exhaustive and statistically accurate picture of the main social and economic changes to have occurred during the year ended, as well as a brief interpretation of progress made by the nation in the social sphere. This report, entitled “Rapporto annuale sulla situazione sociale del Paese”, is  considered  nationwide as an instrument of analysis and interpretation of  the social phenomena and processes taking place across the country.

CPS

The Center for Policy Studies (CPS) is an academic unit within the Central European University (CEU) dedicated to promoting inter-disciplinary and comparative research, analyzing public policy in the field of equality on different inequality grounds including ethnicity, gender, and disability, policies for social inclusion and integration of migrants and minorities.

CPS took part in the second stage – the CONFRONT project regarding the New forms of Trafficking.

 For more detailed Information you are kindly invited visiting the Center’s website

 

The Ludwig Boltzman Institute of human rights

The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM), founded in 1992, is the largest independent human rights research institution in Austria, dealing with human rights issues at the national, European and the international level. It is BIM’s main objective to offer a link between academic research and practitioners, through co-operation with civil society, inter-governmental and state actors and the private sector. Protection of children’s rights constitutes a key area of the Institute’s research and training activities, dealing with a variety of topics including constitutional rights of children, child participation, rights of refugee children and child protection from  violence, exploitation and child trafficking.

ELIAMEP

ELIAMEP is an independent, non-profit and policy-oriented research and training institute. It neither expresses, nor represents, any specific political party view. It is only devoted to the right of free and well-documented discourse.
ELIAMEP’s mission is to provide a forum for public debate on issues of European integration and international relations and to conduct scientific research that contributes to a better informed and documented knowledge of the European and international environment. In pursuing these objectives, ELIAMEP:

• Conducts research on topics pertaining to European integration, the future of Europe and international relations with special emphasis on transatlantic relations, security, migration, human rights, good governance and climate change issues. Its geographical area of interest includes the wider Southeast European, Black Sea, Mediterranean and Middle East regions;
• Contributes to the public and political dialogue on the aforementioned issues;
• Provides decision-makers, both in the public and private sectors in Greece, Europe and beyond, with authoritative and independent information, analysis and policy proposals;
• Trains professionals (civil servants, politicians, journalists and academics, among others) in a variety of areas such as European integration, conflict prevention, management and resolution skills, monitoring of democratic elections, civic participation, civil society building, as well as the role of the media in democratic, inclusive and tolerant societies;
• Raises public awareness on issues of European integration, foreign policy and international affairs;
• Briefs foreign journalists, diplomats, policy analysts and delegations from military academies visiting Greece;
• Participates actively in international partnerships and networks as well as to the debate on the future of Europe and of transatlantic relations

People in need Slovakia

People in Need Slovakia is a branch of the Czech based organization People in Need that is one of the biggest non-profit organizations in Central Europe  working on humanitarian issues and providing aid to crisis areas and supporting adherence to human rights around the world.

The Slovak branch predominantly works on issues of human rights and social integration of marginalized groups and minorities in Slovakia through provision of direct social services aimed on elimination of the internal barriers for social inclusion and public policy activities aimed on influencing the environment and conditions for inclusion through research and advocacy activities.

People in Need Slovakia operates within two main programs that are social integration section and human rights section. The social integration section focuses on provision of direct social services in our four community centers in Eastern Slovakia targeting the socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Principles of work are complexity and partnership, and therefore we focus on all crucial areas, such as education, housing, employment and assistance and coordination with the municipal bodies. Through our activities we try to work with people of all ages varying from young children to adults.

The human rights section focuses on research and advocacy activities and operates predominantly in the capital city of Slovakia at the national level, but with direct impact at the local levels. This section is divided into three subsections – minorities, migration and support of human rights. Therefore our activities range from the general human rights, minority rights, discrimination, economic and social rights to tackling various phenomena like racism, social exclusion and isolation and trafficking in human beings.

People in Need organization also engages in humanitarian and development aid and so far it has operated in around 40 countries all around the world. The Slovak branch is currently developing its development aid program focusing on countries of south-east Balkan and northern Caucasus.

 

SOROS ROMANIA

The Soros Foundation Romania supports organisations and activities that focus on two main priorities: using research and advocacy to develop public policy, and implementing projects that  directly engage poor communities to work together to improve their conditions and assert their rights.

The Soros Foundation Romania has a major focus on promoting open data policies to ensure that the Romanian Government meets its obligations for transparency and public accessibility of information under the Open Government Partnership. It has been consistent advocates for the substantial positive impact that open data policies can have for individuals, civil society, public institutions, and the private sector in Romania.

Through our support for Roma organisations, The Soros Foundation Romania has helped Roma increase their abilities to organise themselves and advance their efforts to obtain equal access to housing and education. While many of the poorest people living in Romania are Roma, the foundation supports an integrated approach that works with all Romanians living in extreme poverty. The activities of the Soros Foundation Romania allow impoverished communities to organise themselves and develop programs and campaigns to find solutions for their education, housing, and health care needs.

University of Pecs