Victims of crime lack protection, despite EU law

Member States are not doing enough to protect victims of terrorism and other serious crimes, including domestic abuse, despite existing EU law having obliged them to put common minimum standards in place.

Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio MEP, the author of the Resolution, said: “With our Report, we want to demonstrate that in the European Union, we stand firm in helping victims of crime. We adopted legally-binding rules to protect victims of crime six years ago. However, victims still don’t receive proper care in the Member States. They need tailor-made, free of charge help easily accessible in one place, independent of their nationality or where the crime against them was committed. This also applies to victims of terrorism whose needs are specifically addressed in the Resolution. We call for a web portal, an emergency telephone line, a coordination centre of support organisations and experts to provide practical services to the victims and a European fund for assistance to the victims of terrorism to be created as soon as possible.”

Anna Maria Corazza Bildt MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman on the Report in the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, added: “Today’s vote is a call for action to Member States to do more to protect all victims of crime, without discrimination. Much more needs to be done to inform and compensate victims and to provide support services, particularly for children and female victims of gender-based violence. The time has come to go from words to actions and ensure that their voices are heard!”

Two years after the deadline for the implementation of the EU Directive defining standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, four Member States have not yet adopted any changes to their national laws. In the countries which have adopted the changes, people who have experienced and survived horrific crimes still often remain uninformed about their rights and rely solely on the help of those closest to them. This European Parliament Resolution suggests a way forward to address the gaps and improve the conditions in which victims involuntarily find themselves.