A new series of reports by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) have found Member States do not do enough to protect victims of violent crime.
The Justice for Victims of Violent Crime reports examined the perspectives of victims, support staff, lawyers, the police and the judiciary in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the UK; with a view towards gaining a perspective on current provision of safeguarding and protection for victims, the process of seeking justice against violent offenders and the effectiveness of a “rights-based approach” to criminal justice.
The FRA published four reports into the justice systems of Member States with a focus on the rights of victims of violent crime:
- Victims’ rights as standards of criminal justice, outlining the development of the rights of victims and how those rights are put into practice;
- Proceedings that do justice, focusing on the procedural aspect of criminal justice and examining to what degree victims are accorded a voice in the process;
- Sanctions that do justice, analysing whether punishments issued to violent criminals “deliver on the promise of justice” for victims; and
- Women as victims of partner violence, taking into account the particular needs of female survivors of domestic abuse.
Collectively the reports identified a number of failings in the practical treatment and support options offered to victims of violent crime; and recommended a series of improvements for Member States’ criminal, judicial and victim support systems, including:
- A comprehensive, coordinated approach to support provision for victims of violent crime;
- Protection to be afforded to victims during court proceedings, with measures to be implemented to keep victims separate from offenders while court cases are in session;
- Training to be provided to police and judiciary bodies to encourage empathy for victims and police protection for victims of violent crime to be extended;
- Better compensation to be offered to victims, who must be informed of their rights to claim compensation where relevant; and
- Rehabilitation for violent offenders through training, mediation sessions and probation.
Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the FRA, said: “Too many victims of violent crime are not involved in criminal proceedings. It is our duty to safeguard their rights, to protect them from further victimisation; and to guarantee that they too can take part in righting the wrongs they have suffered.”
