For too long, victims across Europe have faced a paradox: rights existed on paper, but access to those rights often depended on where they lived, what crime they experienced, or whether they could navigate systems that were too complex and fragmented.
That is why the formal adoption of the revised Victims’ Rights Directive (VRD) marks a historic milestone for Europe. It is more than a legal update. It is a statement about the kind of Europe we want to build: one where victims are recognised, protected, heard and supported; not as an afterthought, but as a central pillar of justice.
The revised Directive strengthens access to information, support, protection and participation in criminal proceedings while introducing concrete measures that can transform victims’ experiences across the EU. It reflects years of work by civil society organisations, practitioners, policymakers and institutions committed to creating a more victim-centred justice system.
All of us in Victim Support Europe (VSE) are proud to have contributed to this journey. But while the formal adoption of the Directive deserves celebration, it also marks the beginning of the next chapter. Because the real challenge starts now.
A new standard for victims in Europe
The revised Directive raises the level of protection and support for victims across Europe in practical and meaningful ways.
Victims will have better access to information and support through EU-wide victims’ helplines under the 116 006 number, online applications and websites providing information, referral pathways and emotional support.
Reporting crime should become easier and more accessible through online reporting mechanisms, third-party reporting possibilities and adapted procedures for children and people whose liberty is limited.
Victims will benefit from stronger protection of personal data and more transparent access to legal aid, including specific provisions for children and persons with disabilities.
The new rules also facilitate access to compensation by introducing measures to improve enforcement and payment of compensation from offenders and creating possibilities for advance compensation. The revised Directive strengthens coordination between the professionals who come into contact with victims and recognises the need for targeted responses for victims with specific needs.
Child victims will benefit from integrated and multidisciplinary support and protection mechanisms. Victims with disabilities will have greater access to procedural accommodations and services. Victims of sexual violence will gain access to more comprehensive support, including sexual and reproductive healthcare where permitted under national law. Victims of terrorism will receive stronger protection against the glorification of offenders.
These changes matter because they move rights from abstract principles towards practical realities. But legislation alone does not change lives.
Rights on paper do not automatically become rights in practice
Europe has become increasingly ambitious in strengthening victims’ rights. Yet implementation across Member States remains uneven.
Evidence repeatedly shows that victims struggle to understand their rights because information is often too complex or poorly communicated. Support services remain unevenly distributed, particularly in rural areas. Referral mechanisms frequently exist only for specific categories of victims, leaving many without access to appropriate support.
Findings from the our BeneVict project illustrate this challenge clearly. Individual needs assessments — critical for identifying protection needs and preventing secondary victimisation — remain the exception rather than standard practice in many countries. Translation and interpretation services often suffer from shortages and inconsistent quality. Compensation systems can be difficult to navigate and professional training remains fragmented and irregular.
As a result, victims continue to experience a patchwork of protection and services depending on where they live. This reality should concern all of us. Because justice should never become another source of harm.
Implementation is where trust is built
The effectiveness of legislation does not depend solely on how well laws are written. It depends on whether governments plan how they will work in practice. Implementation cannot be treated as an afterthought.
Member States need to invest in sustainable delivery mechanisms: awareness campaigns, professional training, coordinated referral systems, monitoring structures and long-term support services.
Governments also need to become smarter in how they implement policies. Data collection, risk-based approaches and evidence-driven decision-making can help identify gaps and improve outcomes.
Monitoring is equally critical. Rules should not disappear from view once adopted. Policymakers should define measurable targets from the outset, collect evidence systematically and publicly track progress.
Sharing information and learning across Member States can also help avoid duplication and build stronger systems for victims throughout Europe. If implementation fails, even the strongest rights risk becoming symbolic rather than transformative.
Victims’ rights do not belong only in justice ministries
There is another important lesson emerging from this new phase: victims’ rights cannot remain confined to criminal justice systems.
Victims live in communities. They enter hospitals, schools and workplaces. They interact with social services, employers and local authorities. Protecting and supporting victims is therefore not solely the responsibility of courts and justice institutions. It is a collective responsibility.
Too often, victim policy remains isolated in institutional silos. Yet supporting victims contributes to broader societal priorities: social cohesion, equality, resilience, public trust and democratic participation.
Victims’ rights need to be mainstreamed across all policy areas; health, education, employment, digital policy, security and equality. This means a whole-of-society approach involving governments, communities, practitioners and civil society in the epicentre. It also means recognising that victim-centred policies create benefits beyond victims themselves. Better support systems improve trust in institutions, encourage reporting and strengthen communities.
The next era of victims’ rights starts now
Europe has achieved something important. The revised Victims’ Rights Directive raises standards and provides stronger tools to support millions of people who experience crime every year.
But laws alone are not enough. The next phase will also require strong leadership and coordination at European level. As Member States begin transposing the revised Directive and as the new EU Strategy on Victims’ Rights takes shape, the role of the European Commission’s Victims’ Rights Coordinator will be essential in driving a coherent vision, bringing together stakeholders and ensuring that implementation remains at the centre of the European agenda. I happily listened to his opening speech recently when he highlighted that victim support organisations will be “crucial” because they have “their ears to the ground” and can help lawmakers understand where gaps remain and what victims need in practice. Indeed, this new era will be defined not by legislative negotiations, but by implementation and delivery.
Victims’ rights cannot be implemented through short-term projects and fragmented funding streams. Sustainable investment, strong national strategies and meaningful partnerships with civil society are essential. No victim should be left without support because of age, sex, gender identity, legal status, geographical location, circumstance or administrative barriers depicting institutional incapacities. The next era of victims’ rights is no longer about creating rights. It is about delivering them.
The implementation phase must now focus on building coherent, coordinated and victim-centred systems across Europe. This requires a stronger evidence-based approach through improved data collection, common standards and monitoring tools to support consistency across Member States and candidate countries. Efforts should prioritise translating the EU victims’ rights acquis into practice through training, capacity-building and practical guidance, while strengthening national frameworks, referral pathways and integrated support systems. Victims must be able to access information and services easily, including through stronger and more visible 116006 victim support helplines and accessible digital tools. Equally important is ensuring timely individual needs assessments, effective multi-agency cooperation and meaningful, trauma-informed participation of victims in relevant processes. As victimisation evolves, responses must also move beyond narrow categories and adopt a broader understanding of vulnerability and resilience that reflects intersecting, structural and increasingly digital risks.
The success of this revised Directive will ultimately not be measured by the number of articles adopted in Brussels, but by whether victims across Europe feel informed, protected, respected and heard; and I will be happier when reporting of crime, at any time and no matter if the crime happened many years ago, will increase. That is the Europe we should all work towards; a Europe that sees through the eyes of the victims and not of the perpetrators. Victim support organisations and civil society will be indispensable in this next phase. They are not only service providers; they are a vital source of expertise, evidence and innovation. Through their daily contact with victims, they have their ears to the ground, identifying emerging needs, implementation gaps and practical challenges. They also act as a repository of good practices and frontline knowledge, helping ensure that policies and legislation are informed by real experiences and translated into meaningful outcomes for victims.
