Description
In accordance with the EU Directive for establishing minimum standards for the rights, support and protection of crime victims (2012), victims "... should get adequate support to facilitate recovery and sufficient access to justice", but do to the undevelopment of the support system (it does’n cover the entire territory of Croatia and does’t provide comprehensive support) many citizens are deprived of their rights. The aim of the project is to contribute to strengthening the capacities of CSOs to provide comprehensive support to victims and witnesses of crimes and misdemeanors, which is going to increase and further build their capacities by providing new services for citizens and by increasing the number of its volunteers, contribute to the empowerment of vulnerable groups in society, to the promotion of voluntarism and increase CSOs visibility and recognizability in the community. Target groups: 4 CSOs (8 participants), 40 volunteers, 60 civil servants, final beneficiaries: victims and witnesses.
Summary of project results
In accordance with the EU Directive from 2012. on establishing minimum standards of the rights, support and protection of all victims of crime “...should be adequately supported in order to facilitate recovery and should be able to sufficiently access the judiciary system ", however support system is not sufficiently developed or doesn’t cover the entire area of the Republic of Croatia and does not provide comprehensive support which resulted in deprivation of exercising legal rights for many citizens. Victims and witnesses of crimes and offenses in the Republic of Croatia are faced with numerous problems in exercising their legal rights which is the result of poor implementation of the Criminal Procedure Act (Official Gazette 145/13). Lack of adequate and comprehensive support at the local level is visible and increasing. For reasons stated above, the organization has introduced a system of comprehensive support to victims and witnesses of crime in cooperation with partner CSOs who are dealing with human rights in their scope of work. These CSOs work in Varaždin county, Istria county, Požega-Slavonia county and Dubrovnik-Neretva county, where there is no form of support for victims and witnesses. Since the support requirements demand professional capacities of CSOs and educated personnel, ie. acquisition of knowledge and skills on provision of comprehensive support, the organization has organized workshops and trained 34 volunteers and 8 coordinators of volunteers in local CSOs to work with victims and witnesses of serious crimes. Upon completion of training volunteers of local CSOs provide emotional support to victims and witnesses of crimes, inform them on their legal rights. Due to the fact that in many cases problems of victims are affected with standpoint of judicial authorities and the law enforcement agencies that focus on the perpetrator and not the victim, organization has educated 78 civil and public servants who are dealing with victims and witnesses of crimes and offenses (such as police officers, emplyees of Centre for social welfare, state Attorney's Office employees and others.). With implementation of 5 press conferences and 107 broadcasts of radio jingle, all citizens who find themselves in the role of victims or witnesses of crimes and offenses are encuraged to contact the organisation with confidence and be informed on their legal rights.
Summary of bilateral results