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Organizational Goals and Means for Implementing Them
About IOVA
Policy Change

Promote, enhance and ensure through education, advocacy and action state, national and international policy changes supporting rights and funding of services for victims and survivors of crime, violence, abuse of power, terrorism, and natural disasters. Provide information and education on violence prevention and restorative justice.

  • Coordinate with other NGOs to better implement the UN Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, and support a possible U.N. Convention.
  • Promote policy assessments and awareness programs at national and regional levels through consultation and activities such as policy forums and conferences.
  • Ensure that our consultants and trainers understand the policies and legislation of the countries of our partners, and promote nationally appropriate public policy innovations consistent with IOVA's principles.
  • Provide links to other institutions and organizations seeking to pursue policies on behalf of victims, violence prevention and alternative justice systems.
  • Organize and provide public policy forums to inform the general public, governments
Education & Training

Educate and train responders, caregivers and officials serving victims, survivors and their affiliates:

  • Provide primary and secondary crisis responders with training in psychological first aid, organization of crisis response teams and coordinating community crisis response
  • Develop crisis responders and victim advocates as trainers and prepare them to respond internationally to requests for education and training in crisis response, advocacy, victim services program development and related needs.
  • Publish training and educational materials.
  • Make educational materials and links to research institutes available on the website.
  • Sustain review of training materials and intervention techniques to ensure use of evidence based best practices.
  • Develop and maintain relationships between practitioners, trainer/consultants, and leading Victimology research institutes.
Building Partnerships
  • Seek to empower victims and survivors to form local, country and international alliances.
  • Provide technical assistance to victim service programs.
  • Assist locally oriented victim service providers, police, prosecutors and health officials in developing networks and coordinating with government responders and ministries.
  • Assist government ministries and agencies planning for crisis response and/or providing response with developing programs and standards that enhance integration of their services and can incorporate appropriately trained non-governmental organizations and responders.
Crisis and Long-Term Response

Provide emotional or psychological interventions on behalf of victims, survivors and responders after catastrophes.

  • Send crisis response teams to areas in the aftermath of catastrophe, upon request and agreement with specific organizations or agencies involved in the catastrophe.
  • Assist local victim assistance and violence prevention agencies, institutions, grassroots non-governmental organizations and governments in organizing response to catastrophes and planning for effective future response.
  • Provide long term referrals for victims, survivors or responders to deal with emotional or practical needs.
  • Provide interventions and workshops for responders and caregivers to increase their capacity to psychologically sustain their own response capacities.
  • Provide ongoing help to agencies and organizations that are seeking to rebuild communities in the aftermath of disaster.
More About IOVA
The Board of Directors & Their Written Contributions
Values & Principles
Background & Experience
The Mission
Organizational Goals
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