Justice at Last has joined the One Voice One Cause campaign launched by Victim Support Europe (VSE).
This campaign calls for EU and national authorities to increase awareness of victims’ rights, galvanise advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and initiatives to close the existing gaps.
The campaign has 3 main messages:
- Victims rights are relevant for all of us, every day
15% of EU citizens are victim to a crime annually and are entitled to certain rights and services in the aftermath of crime, both in the criminal justice system and wider society.
- The Victims’ Rights Directive empowers us all
The 2012 EU Victims’ Rights Directive ensures that victims of crime across European borders enjoy their rights and have equal access to free national support services.
Despite the transposition deadline of 2015, some Member States have yet to fully establish the adequate procedures and mechanisms for putting the Directive into practice. The VSE VOCIARE project provides an insight into how are victims’ rights being enacted (or not) and what can be done to improve their standing.
- Clear and accessible information on where to get free victim support
EU law dictates that everyone in the EU has a right to free victim support services, regardless of whether or not the crime is reported. Justice at Last joins VSEs’ calls for victim support services that are:
- free of charge
- confidential
- victim-centred
- independent
- accessible throughout Europe
- tailored to meet the individual needs of the victim
- delivered by trained and qualified staff/volunteers
A map of victim support services is available here.
This campaign is very timely given the new EU strategy on Victims’ Rights.
The new EU Strategy on Victims’ Rights (2020-2025) can certainly ensure better communication with victims and a safe environment for victims to report human trafficking as well as other severe forms of exploitation and other crime. We welcome in particular also the acknowledgment for improving support and protection to vulnerable victims and the need for compensation. For years La Strada International is advocating for better access to compensation; enabling and facilitating access to compensation helps victims to recover, as well as punishing and deterring traffickers.
Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator of La Strada International
You can follow the campaign in full here.