The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), on the occasion of the European Day for Victims of Crime on 22 February, released a statement calling on EU Member States to ensure the rights of victims take centre stage.The FRA’s statement notes the importance of effective and inclusive criminal justice systems to ensure that victims of crime have access to justice and receive fair and equal treatment throughout the criminal procedures. The EU’s Victims’ Rights Directive of 2012 is acknowledged as a significant milestone in protecting and reinforcing victims’ rights. The statement pays special attention on violence against women by stating the importance of the Council of Europe’s Convention against violence against women (‘Istanbul Convention’).
The aims and objectives of PROTASIS project are in line with FRA’s and EU’s calls to strengthen victims’ rights and tackle violence against women. The PROTASIS training seminars for police officers were recently concluded in Italy, Portugal and Greece. Police officers are most often the first point of contact that a victim has with the authorities. In this context, police staff is expected to demonstrate certain skills when interacting with victims, especially those with special needs due to personal or situational characteristics, such as victims of gender-based violence and child victims. The main objective of the PROTASIS project is to contribute to the development of a victim-friendly environment during the victims’ contact with the police, by ensuring that victims are treated in a respectful and sensitive manner through the improvement and strengthening of police officers’ communication skills and knowledge on how to interact with victims.
Read the full statement of FRA here:
Grant victims access to justice to realise their fundamental rights too
Millions of people in the EU fall victim to crime every year. On European Day for Victims of Crime on 22 February, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights calls on Member States to ensure the rights of victims take centre stage. Only then will they truly have access to the justice that they deserve and are entitled to. Read more…
