With negotiations between the European Parliament and the EU Council on the revision of the Victims’ Rights Directive (see EUROPE 13221/17) to continue on Wednesday 5 February, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) held an information session for public authorities at the end of January on developments in its report on the rights of victims of crime.
According to the document ‘Stepping up the response to victims of crime: FRA’s findings on challenges and solutions’, published in November, while around 22 million people in the EU are victims of physical violence each year, 64% of them do not report the incident to the authorities.
This situation limits access to justice and appropriate support, leading to impunity for criminals and significant social costs.
FRA is calling for improved data collection and a harmonised methodology in order to understand the situation of these victims and respond with appropriate public policies.
A cross-sectoral approach is recommended to obtain as much detail as possible and to take into account factors such as gender, ethnic origin or the existence of a disability.
FRA also calls for better data collection on violence against women and domestic violence, referring to the directive on combating violence against women adopted in May 2024, which imposes clear obligations on Member States in this respect.
These data need to be supplemented by better coordination between public and private actors.
The ‘Barnahus’ model, which offers comprehensive and coordinated support to child victims of violence, is cited as a model to be promoted.
FRA is also calling for better training for public authorities - police, judges and social workers - in areas such as domestic violence and sexual violence, so that they are better prepared to respond to victims’ specific needs.
Finally, FRA suggests increased funding for victim support programmes to ensure that every victim receives the help they need to rebuild their lives and obtain justice.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/fcb (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)