SupportVoC – Development of a Generic Support Services Model to enhance the Rights of Victims of Crime
Contributing to the promotion and protection of the rights of VoC in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
Grant Agreement Number: 760641
Funded by: Justice Duration: 11/2017 – 11/2019
Challenge
The Directive 2012/29/EU, establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime was adopted and entered into force on 2012. It states that Member States must ensure access for victims and their family members to general victim support and specialist support, in accordance with their needs. Still some Member States – among which Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus – have not established yet the generic victim support services required.
Over the last two decades, the flow of migrants and refugees, the expansion of trafficking and sudden rise in hate crimes have created a new environment that demands changes and drastic measures. At the same time, the improvement of women’s role in society and their social and economic advancement have made domestic violence more visible. However, to date, there is no general conception of “victim” regardless of the particularities of each category, and for this reason any protection provided is fragmented.
At the moment, in Greece, Italy and Bulgaria support services are offered for certain types of victims, such as victims of trafficking, victims of domestic violence/abuse etc. The limited range of support services leaves out a considerable number of victims without access to support services, while there is no proper monitoring of these services.
Innovation
SupportVoc aims at contributing to the promotion and protection of the rights of victims of crime in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus, by developing a model and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for generic victim support services that will be adaptable to different national/regional contexts, covering a gap in transposition of the Directive 2012/29/EU in the 4 member states.
Action
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Project Partners
