Brussels, 28/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 March, the European Parliament (EP) civil liberties and women's rights committees adopted their positions on the draft directive aiming to establish minimum standards for the protection of victims of crime in the EU, providing them with certain basic rights, such as the right to information in simple language and support services during criminal proceedings.
Under the terms of the Commission proposal, children, persons with disabilities, victims of rape and victims of human trafficking will be considered vulnerable and will benefit from special treatment. MEPs propose extending the list of vulnerable victims to include asylum seekers and refugees, the elderly and victims of gender-based violence, terrorism, organised crime, violence in close relationships, torture, hate crime, organ trafficking and attempted homicide. Relatives of murdered persons should also be considered vulnerable.
MEPs called for all victims to “undergo an individual assessment to determine whether they are vulnerable. Based on personal risks, such as age, gender, ethnicity, race, religion or sexual orientation, and the type of crime, any person could be vulnerable and could have specific needs.”
MEPs argue that member states should “ensure that victims and their relatives have access to free of charge, easily accessible and confidential victim support services (for example, psychological assistance) from the moment the victims suffer harm, during and after the conclusion of the investigation and trial and regardless of where the crime takes place”. Specialist support services should be set up for victims with specific needs, such as victims of gender-based violence or children. (SP/transl.rt)