Network concrete – “Evening” of open doors: How networking works

Networking between specialists and offices in Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft is practiced. This became clear on the “open evening” at the new location of Opferhilfe beider Basel.

On May 25, 2023, Opferhilfe beider Basel opened the doors to the new office and counselling facilities at Steinengraben 5 to invited guests. Many partners from the network accepted the invitation: experts from psychotherapy and school social services, law firms and protection authorities, NGOs, to name just a few. Employees from companies and institutions in the same building also took the opportunity to get to know each other.

A total of 130 people visited the victim counseling center. Among them were many new faces. For many, however, it was also a reunion, as there hasn’t been an event like this since the coronavirus.

Two reasons to celebrate
The two government councillors Kathrin Schweizer (BL) and Stephanie Eymann (BS) addressed the guests and employees. Kathrin Schweizer just had two good reasons to celebrate. On the one hand, the Victim Assistance Act has been in force for exactly 30 years. This means that the law is still young and covers a very important gap, emphasized the government councillor. The second reason is the new location of Victim Support. For Kathrin Schweizer, the advantages for clients are obvious. Access is now discreet, anonymous and barrier-free. In addition, the location is central and the infrastructure is modern and professionally equipped.

It’s all about teamwork
Stephanie Eymann referred to the numerous programs and priorities in the canton that guarantee the population greater safety and protection. Victim support plays an important role in this, she said. In general, the interaction of all those involved is crucial for success. Stephanie Eymann also spoke about a new task in the area of “Protection against violence and victim support”: threat management, which started work on March 1. The aim here is to recognize threats emanating from people and directed at other people at an early stage. The cantonal threat management team used the open evening to introduce itself.

Further increase in case numbers
The President of Victim Support, Denise Gilli, impressively demonstrated how the number of cases and dossiers has increased in recent years. In 2022 alone, it was 9% more. And the trend is continuing: In the first quarter of 2023, the number of cases and dossiers opened rose by 20%. In view of this development, it is extremely important that Victim Support was able to move to a more suitable location. She also emphasized the importance of networking. “The better the network functions and works together, the more effective victim protection is.”

The willingness to work together and the lively exchange were clearly noticeable that evening. And also the benevolent, lively atmosphere between the partners.