CONSULTATION DOCUMENT:
TAKING ACTION ON RIGHTS, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION OF VICTIMS OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE
I. GENERAL QUESTIONS:
1. What are the main obstacles and problems faced by victims of crime or violence in relation to the five categories of needs (Recognition, Protection, Support, Access to Justice, Compensation and Restoration)?
2. What concrete initiatives would you suggest to ensure the five categories of victims' needs are met? Do you think the EU can contribute to these initiatives and if so how?
3. Are you aware of good practices, initiatives, programmes (including training programmes) or tools that contribute to meeting the needs of victims?
4. How could existing EU legislation on victims be improved to meet the needs of victims?
5. Is sufficient information and data collected on victims' policies and needs? How do you think such information should be collected (e.g. specific studies and research, national or EU wide victim satisfaction surveys)?
II. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS BASED ON THE NEEDS OF VICTIMS
RECOGNITION
6. Do you think victims related training should be compulsory for practitioners? How do you think the quality of training programmes can be improved?
7. How should it be ensured that the individual needs of victims are properly assessed (e.g. individual needs assessment when reporting crime)?
8. How do you think vulnerable victims should be identified? What special measures should be available to them (e.g. provide testimony only once, legal assistance always available, specially trained professionals carry out questioning)?
PROTECTION
9. Do you think measures are needed to protect a victim's privacy and if so how (e.g. court orders, code of conduct)?
10. How do you think the victim should be protected from an offender/ potential offender in particular in relation to:
a) Intimidation/ further harm (e.g. separation of offender and victim in court/police station through protocols)?
b) As regards protection orders, what do you think is the most feasible and effective option to achieve EU wide protection?
SUPPORT
11. How do you think victim support organisations can be assisted to provide effective services to victims?
12. What services do you think they should provide?
13. Do you think foreign and/or domestic victims should be provided immediate basic assistance (e.g. hotel accommodation, food vouchers, phone calls)? If so, who should provide such assistance (e.g. consular authorities, other government agencies, victim support organisations, tourist industry)?
ACCESS TO JUSTICE
14. How should we ensure that victims fully understand their rights and the information they are given (e.g. Translation and interpretation available to all victims who don't understand, legal assistance, simplification of forms and documents, information provided through different media)?
15. Should victims have a right to provide information before key decisions are made, such as decisions to stop an investigation or prosecution, and to seek the review of such decisions afterwards (e.g. though a senior official, ombudsman, court).
COMPENSATION AND RESTORATION
16. How do you think victims should be assisted when making compensation claims and when seeking to enforce compensation orders (e.g. State assistance in recovery, State payment in advance, simplification of forms)?
17. Should restorative justice practices such as mediation be available to all victims? Should minimum standards be applied to organisations providing such services
ANSWERS TO EUROPEAN COMISSION VICTIMS PACKAGE CONSULTION DOCUMENT
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
1. All five categories of needs.
2. E.U can contribute in a single policy and to the voting of community legislation for all her members considering that each country work on her own according to the law system of her country.
3. Yes
4. With the participation of road victims representatives & NGO and of course the political will of the governments of E.U countries to implement the European legislation.
5. No: The information which are collected for the policies and needs of victims to be in EU wide victim satisfaction surveys to be a single model for EU such as one control center in national level and public of the data by Eurostat. And so will be presented each country road safety.
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS BASED ON THE NEEDS OF VICTIMS
RECOGNITION
6. Yes, considered that the recognition of victims and treatment with dignity and respect. This action can take place by a team of consultants which work in NGO support team ,by taking knowledge the required actions which can make for the needs of victims.
7. Special experts with full records and evaluation of victim needs.
8. With a system of recognition of vulnerable ages and evaluation with the presentation of national organization which are trained to take action in accidents(police, social workers, psychologists and traffic mechanical engineers)
PROTECTION
9. Anything ensures the protection of private life of victims must be considered with the institutionalization of a European single code of conduct, whatever in which country of E.U is taking place and victim comes from.
10. To applied single European law which can ensure
a) The victim, corresponding to life threat, separation of victim and offender for as long time as this is needed and to be offered support for the victims,
b) Use any preventive ways to avoid retaliation.
SUPPORT
11. NGO which take action in support and defense level of road victims and road safety , to be considered as equal parts in the design of all European actions which take place in every region to be ensured their sponsorship and the support of their job.
12.a) Medical services with special doctors (care and psychological support),
b) Economic as a first step even beyond medical treatment regardless of social or private insurance, it is necessary to have a financial aid for the first victim's expense during the period of hospitalization (such as travel expenses, accommodation and food associated-passenger market artificial States etc). c) Legal, with information on their rights (civil requirements), the limitation of time, and the appropriate supporting documents (medical, invoices, photographs etc)
13. Direct help and fast mobilization, because of the nature of victims, an accident is so sudden and painful, to the for the all the E.U countries no matter what the citizenship of the victim is, such as hotel accommodation , free phone call services , food, presence of specialist support group and every information available immediately from E.U help number for direct information.(Which is unknown to the most E.U citizens)
ACCESS TO JUSTICE
14. We must ensure that the victims of road have a thorough understanding of their rights and they have given all information (such as translation, interpretation, legal assistance, simplification of documents through various instruments.
Here we think is handed all preliminary investigation at the stage of the relevant Traffic required to ensure that all of the above and in any case there is a public institution is required to provide all appropriate advice to the victims or the relatives of the victims for the above .
15. Our view is that before the final decision the victims have the right to have a complete picture of the case, but a judge man can bring even more accurately the actual condition of health.
COMPENSATION AND RESTORATION
16. Our view is that insurance companies require legislative cover – as I said above – with payment in advance (i.e. brought) all costs of the first victim in the treatment and then by the recovery of (at least for a reasonable period of time).
17. Of course yes, NGO which are dealing with the road victims have the knowledge to support with law the people providing every information needed. They must have Ombudsman role for the restoration of justice after the victim request. The institution of Ombudsman so far in our country is a concept that has practical significance only in accident with property damage and slight injuries. afraid if extended to serious injuries and fatal accidents, the victims will be ' ball ' among the insurance companies that might wish to denigrate the mischief. Think if extended the institution in all cases be binding.
Hellenic association Road victim support(EFTHITA)-Rhodes Greece is requesting for more attention to road victims , because the number of people loosing their life in road is already very huge, and we must focus to the substantial treatment of victims.
Kind regards
President EFTHITA RHODES-GREECE
E.KARIDI
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