Appointed by Northern Ireland’s First and Deputy First Ministers Judith served as the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors of Northern Ireland’s troubled past from 2015 to 2020. Judith’s commitment to promoting the interests of victims and survivors of conflict and trauma is based on more than 30 years working within justice organisations and in communities.
Her willingness to listen and ability to bring people together into safe spaces for conversation has marked her tenure. Appointing and Chairing the Forum for Victims and Survivors Judith has nurtured a culture where everyone is respected and supported and where strong relationships have been built between members. The forum’s strength draws from these different opinions and experiences, and it has played a critically important role in developing Judith’s advice to government.
Getting to know victims and survivors and having the privilege of hearing their views and experiences has been a highlight of her time in office, both personally and in terms of progress towards a real and lasting peace.
During her time in office, Judith has overseen significant improvements to how victims and survivors’ needs are being addressed. The long standing campaign for the victims’ payment has been enshrined in legislation, a new needs-based approach to services for victims and survivors has been introduced, and a regional trauma network to address the mental health legacy of the conflict has been developed.
Prior to taking up her role as Commissioner Judith led the work of Skills for Justice, the licensed Sector Skills Council for Justice across the UK. She worked closely with the Police Service for Northern Ireland to support police reform and in reviewing and developing its response to victims of crime. She has been responsible for making sure the standards and competence frameworks for policing within the community are fit for purpose in Northern Ireland. She was also responsible for setting standards for work with victims and survivors, and led the development of a Government endorsed qualification for Community Safety in NI.
Originally from England, Judith came to Northern Ireland in 1984 as a freshly qualified social worker. Her first job was as a probation officer in north Belfast, where she worked with victims and offenders on both sides of the many ‘peace lines’. She supported people experiencing death threats, knee-capping, intimidation, domestic and sexual abuse. She also saw the hardship facing women left holding their families together after their husbands or partners were imprisoned or killed.
These experiences gave Judith a deep understanding of the complex narratives that underly conflict and the impact that violence has on families and communities.
She hopes to continue building links internationally, where she is recognised as an advocate of victims and survivors in post-conflict societies. Judith has been part of peace negotiations in Afghanistan, visited Bosnia and hosted delegations from Switzerland, Israel and Turkey.
Levent began his career in the UK Ministry of Justice before spending three years in the European Commission working on European criminal law. He followed this with two years in the Cabinet Office working for Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown on European Justice and Home Affairs issues before moving on to help in the development of the UK’s Border control strategy.
