Rights, support and protection of victims of crime

It affects victims of crime, especially children, people with disabilities, vulnerable victims, and victims needing protection or compensation. It also affects people reporting crime, including victims in detention and victims living in another Member State.

• Requires a free, confidential victims’ helpline using 116 006 and online channels.
• Lets victims report crimes electronically, including from detention, and blocks sharing irregular migrants’ status early on.
• Expands support: free psychological help, child-focused multi-agency services, and crisis-ready victim support services.
• Strengthens protection, court assistance and review rights, compensation in criminal proceedings, and remedies for rights breaches.

Takes effect

It enters into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal; Member States then have two years to transpose most rules, four years for electronic...

Transitional law

Most provisions apply after the two-year transposition period, but the electronic communication rules are deferred for four years.

• Directive 2012/29/EU (32012L0029)
  • art. 3a: inserts new Article 3a on victims’ helplines
  • art. 5a: inserts new Article 5a on crime reporting
  • art. 8(2): replaces support-referral conditions
  • art. 8(6): adds crisis-operational duty for victim support services
  • art. 9(1)(c): extends psychological support and duration
  • art. 9(3)(b): broadens targeted and integrated support categories
  • art. 9(4): adds protocol-based comprehensive support duty
  • art. 9a: inserts new Article 9a on child-focused support services
  • art. 10a: inserts new Article 10a on assistance at court
  • art. 10b: inserts new Article 10b on review of court decisions
  • art. 16(1): limits compensation decisions to criminal proceedings
  • art. 16(2): requires immediate state payment and subrogation
  • art. 17(1)(b): extends video and telephone conferencing for cross-border participation
  • art. 17(4): adds Eurojust assistance and information transmission
  • art. 21(3): prohibits providing victim residence data to offender
  • art. 22: recasts individual assessment title and rules
  • art. 23(2)(d): adds gender-based violence and same-sex interview rule
  • art. 23(4): adds physical protection measures and protection orders
  • art. 24(3): removes parental-consent condition in conflict cases
  • art. 26a: inserts new Article 26a on national protocols
  • art. 26b: inserts new Article 26b on electronic communication
  • art. 26c: inserts new Article 26c on rights of victims with disabilities
  • art. 26d: inserts new Article 26d on remedies
  • art. 27a: inserts new Article 27a on violence against women and domestic violence
  • art. 28: replaces data and statistics rules
  • art. 29: replaces Commission reporting and review rule