Need for stronger support and protection of crime victims across the EU

The ‘Stepping up the response to victims of crime’ paper draws on extensive FRA research over the past decade.

It shows that victims often do not report crimes to the police. As a result, perpetrators go unpunished and victims suffer. Victims do not receive support or access justice. This can often have a long-lasting impact such as fear of leaving the house or visiting certain places, depression and anxiety.

The paper also briefly mentions the growing adverse impact that online crimes such as fraud, online harassment and hate speech have on victims. FRA will continue to support policy- and lawmakers in their efforts to protect victims of online crimes and address the fundamental rights implications of hate speech online.

To better support victims of crime and enforce their rights in practice across the EU, the paper outlines solutions to address the key challenges identified.

It focuses on three areas:

1. Reporting crime: Underreporting continues to hinder efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes. This can be compounded by a lack of trust in the police or the view that the crime is not serious enough to warrant attention. The level of reporting of crime may increase if victims are encouraged to report to third parties, including medical services and specialist support organisations. Additional measures, such as proactive monitoring and access to independent and accessible complaint mechanisms, may also lead to higher rates of reporting.
2. Protecting victims from secondary victimisation: Victims often face traumatising procedures during questioning or when they encounter offenders again during judicial proceedings. The risk of secondary victimisation can be reduced by training professionals to better address victims' needs and by improving coordination among organisations that come in contact with victims.
3. Improving victim support: Victims do not always receive the support they need for several reasons. Often, national support services deal only with very specific types of crimes or victims. Some services have greater resources, while others are under resourced. In addition, victims are often not aware about the agency that is best placed to support them. Victims can receive more effective support if authorities ensure better coordination amongst them, establish accreditation systems for defined performance standards and put in place effective mechanisms for referring victims to support services.

This paper outlines the key challenges and solutions when it comes to promoting and protecting victims’ rights across the EU.

It draws directly from FRA’s published work. These include data gathered from large-scale quantitative surveys of victims and in-depth qualitative research, including testimonies from victims and practitioners.

The paper also identifies promising practices in various EU countries that address the practical needs of victims and improve their access to justice.