Support VoC “Development of a Generic Support Services Model to enhance the Rights of Victims of Crime”
Main Objectives Over the last two decades, the flow of migrants and refugees, the expansion of trafficking and the sudden rise in hate crimes have created a new environment that demands changes and measures. Especially from the victim support viewpoint, the specification of minimum standards is of fundamental importance. The Directive 2012/29/EU establishes minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime stating that Member States must ensure access for victims and their family members to general victim and specialist support, in accordance with their needs (Art 8). In order to contribute to the effective and coherent application of EU criminal law in the area of the rights of victims of crime and, in particular, to the implementation and practical application of the Directive 2012/29/EU, “Hope for Children” CRC Policy Center and other partners, co-ordinated by Universitat de Barcelona, implement the SupportVoC project in Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and Italy aiming at:
Developing a model and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for generic victim support services that will be flexible and adaptable to different national or regional contexts;
Promoting the cooperation between competent authorities and other agencies or organisations coming into contact with victims.
Expected results The expected results to be achieved in Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and Italy are:
Improved knowledge on implementing national, regional and local generic victim support services, as well as Law and criminal justice authorities, legal practitioners and civil society enforcement;
Availability of the model and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), methods and tools for the implementation of generic victim support services;
Enhanced multi-disciplinary and interagency cooperation between competent authorities and other agencies or organisations coming into contact with victims to support/facilitate the implementation of the model and SOPs and ensure comprehensive protection of victims;
Increased awareness of stakeholders on the transposition of Directive 2012/29/EU, especially in relation to the provision of generic support services to crime victims.
The activities are the followings:
Review and analysis of the national legal frameworks regarding the rights and protection of victims of crime and its application;
Development of a model & SOPs for the provision of generic support services to victims of crime;
Facilitating cooperation between competent authorities and other agencies or organisations coming into contact with victims through the organization of national and transnational workshops, as well as the provision of recommendations and guidelines;
Dissemination and awareness raising through the development of visual identity and information materials, social media campaign, the creation and the maintenance of a project website, information days, and so on.
Funding reference The project is co-financed by the Justice Programme of the European Commission (Ref. JUST-AG-2016-760641).