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Victim Support Services in the EU: An overview and assessment of victims' rights in practice

Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
The project provides Member States with concrete examples of different practices in the area of support to victims of crime. It is the first independent overview of victim support services in the EU and involves the revision of current practices and gaps at the national and regional level leading to an overview of different models of victim support from which ‘promising practices’ can be highlighted as a basis for further development and enhancement of victim support.
Project Status
Findings available
Project start date
2011
In brief / Factsheet
6
December
2012

Victim support services in the EU: an overview and assessment of victims’ rights in practice

The European Union (EU) and its Member States have undertaken many legislative and non-legislative initiatives in recent years to improve the situation of victims of crime, while work to promote the rights of victims is still ongoing. Some of the key concerns in the field include the role of the victim in criminal proceedings and facilitating access to criminal justice systems: in other words, ensuring that victims are recognised as persons with rights. These rights should be respected and safeguarded by the criminal justice system.

What?

The project provides Member States with concrete examples of different practices in the area of victim support – based on an analysis of what currently exists at Member State level. It is the first independent overview of victim support services in the EU. It reviewed current practices and gaps at the national and regional level. This lead to an overview of different models of victim support from which ‘promising practices’ can be highlighted as a basis for further development and enhancement of victim support.

Why?

The project followed a request from the European Commission in 2010 to assist their work on improving legislation and provisions for victims of crime, as linked with the Victims’ Roadmap. It is hoped that the project results will assist decision making at EU and Member State level, also through the identification of promising practices.

How?

Based on desk research and some qualitative interviews to confirm the research findings, the project collected summary overviews of victim support systems from each Member State. This was followed up with more detailed data collection on and analysis of existing systems and services –including details about support services offered by both states and NGOs. Alongside a general overview of victim support services, the research identified promising practices with respect to victim services, including some examples from specific victim support services. From here, selected ‘models’ of victim support services were then presented.

Findings:

This project page was last updated on 12.10.2015

See also
Comparative data on mapping victims’ rights and support in the EU

EU-MIDIS Data in Focus Report 6: Minorities as Victims of Crime

27
November
2012
This EU-MIDIS Data in focus report 6 presents data on respondents’ experiences of victimisation across five crime types: theft of or from a vehicle; burglary or attempted burglary; theft of personal property not involving force or threat (personal theft); assault or threat; and serious harassment. The European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS) is the first EU-wide survey to ask 23,500 individuals with an ethnic and minority background about their experiences of discrimination and criminal victimisation in everyday life.

Hate crime in the European Union

27
November
2012
Despite EU Member States’ efforts to combat discrimination and intolerance, including hate crime, there are indications that the situation is not improving. Continued and renewed violations of the fundamental rights of people living within the EU have instead been witnessed over the past few years, through verbal abuse, physical attacks or even murders motivated by prejudice.

Making hate crime visible in the European Union: acknowledging victims' rights

27
November
2012
Discrimination and intolerance persist in the European Union (EU) despite the best efforts of Member States to root them out, FRA research shows. Verbal abuse, physical attacks and murders motivated by prejudice target EU society in all its diversity, from visible minorities to those with disabilities. This FRA report is designed to help the EU and its Member States to tackle these fundamental rights violations both by making them more visible and bringing perpetrators to account.
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Data and maps