Crime, safety and victim’s rights

Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation

Crime can touch any of us – as witnesses or as victims. But no matter who you are, we all have rights when it comes to justice. It is for this reason that the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights asked 35,000 people across Europe about their experiences of crime in its Fundamental Rights Survey, and the results are in.

Download report on Crime, safety and victims' rights

Transcript

This is Marie. She likes bird-watching. But recently she spotted more than she expected.

And this is Hakim. He's got his eye on some new shoes. But someone else had an eye on his PIN code.

Crime can touch any of us, as witnesses or as victims. But no matter who you are, we all have rights when it comes to justice. That's why the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency asked 35,000 people across Europe about their experiences of crime, and the results are in.

Marie and Hakim aren't alone: in the last five years, 8% of Europeans reported being victims of burglary, and 8% experienced bank fraud. 9% were victims of violence and 43% of Europeans experienced harassment, with higher numbers for young people and members of minority groups.

Let's take a closer look. For example, 50% of people with disabilities, and 57% of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Europe reported suffering harassment in the last five years. Far too high.

And while Europeans reported 95% of bank fraud cases, like Hakim, as well as 73% of burglaries, like Marie, just 13% of victims of harassment contacted the police. And 25% of Europeans wouldn't call the police even if they witnessed a violent crime, although this rate varies greatly between countries surveyed.

In short, we don't all experience crime in the same way, and we may deal with it differently. But it's vital, as victims or as witnesses, that our rights are guaranteed, and that we all show solidarity with victims of crime. Because access to justice is your fundamental right.

Would you like to know more about FRA's survey? You can read the full report and discover the findings on our website.