APAV publishes the Provictims report and brochure: The public prosecution and the rights of victims of crime

With the publication of Directive 2012/29 / EU, the rights of victims of crime have come to be the object of greater protection. However, for these to be effective, just legal texts are not enough, it is necessary to understand the protection system in its entirety to determinate better solutions. With this in mind, and considering the growing concern of the European Union with the full implementation of the text of the Directive, the PROVICTIMS project was developed, whose main objective was to demystify the roles that actors in criminal proceedings play in guaranteeing the protection of victims' rights.

Under the scope of this Project it was developed the ProVictims Report: The role of the public prosecution in the promotion of victims’ rights and the Brochure: Victims’ rights and the public prosecution service – 10 questions and answers, that we are glad to share.

During the research developed in the report, it was found that the effectiveness of the victims' rights depends on a delicate balance between the representation of the State and its interests as well as the fundamental rights and guarantees of the accused, a result that is not always easily achieved. That is why the victim support services play an essential role in this articulation, as they ensure the commitment to their rights as well as guarantee an exchange of synergy between the other agents of the criminal services.

This report written by Catarina Abegão Alves and Sónia Moreira Reis with the support of João Gouveia de Caires, is a unique contribution in terms of academic research, with fundamental and practical recommendations that can help build a better protection system for victims of crime.

The brochure on Victims’ rights and the public prosecution service – 10 questions and answers highlighted the crucial role prosecutors play in making rights effective and accessible for victims of crime.

The PROVICTIMS project was developed in collaboration between APAV and institutions from four European countries, namely the Irish Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Spanish IRSE-EBI, the Procuradoria Geral da República, Attorneys General's Office (PGR), the Victims Help and Support Organization White Circle Croatia, of Croatia and the Centre of Investigation for Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences of the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, Portugal.

These outcomes were developed as part of the activities of ProVictims Project, co-funded by the Union's Justice Programme (2014-2020).

ProVictims Report: The role of the public prosecution in the promotion of victims’ rights
Brochure: Victims’ rights and the public prosecution service – 10 questions and answers