Victim support Europe, in partnership with the World Bank and support of MDTF launches a series of reports towards ensuring full implementation of the EU Victims rights directive in Serbia. One of the reports is an analysis of funding of victim support services in France, Finland and UK and outlines the various policy options available to Serbia.
In ensuring financing for their functioning, states have at their disposal, and regularly use, a number of tools to raise funds. From taxation and loans to privatisation and soliciting donations from private individuals, States resorting to a number of different approaches to fund various aspects of their functioning. The selection of which particular tool will be used in any given situation is a matter of policy decisions that only States, within the framework of any national legal order, can make.
The present analysis was prepared in view of several considerations:
- Serbia is committed to comply with the requirements of the Victims’ Rights Directive
- One of the main requirements of the Directive is providing comprehensive victim support services
- Victim support services need to be properly funded
- This funding can come from existing sources, or through introducing new funding streams
Funding for ensuring victims’ rights can come from different sources, which can be grouped into generic or specific victims’ funding. Generic funding comes straight from the State budget, without an attempt being made to correlate the source of funding with the purpose it is being used for. Specific funding, however, comes from streams of funding which are put into place for specific purposes. This funding can be used only for the benefit of victims, or for broader social causes. In its first part, the present report analyses the experiences of Finland, France and the United Kingdom, to describe how funding is ensured towards respect, protection and fulfillment of the rights of victims, regardless of whether it concerns budgets from generic or specific sources. The three countries were selected due to their long experience in the use of different funding mechanisms and the success of those mechanisms in establishing stable funding sources for victim services.
The report was prepared by Ms. Aleksandra Ivankovic (Victim Support Europe) and Mr. Levent Altan (Victim Support Europe). Country experts Jerome Bertin and Isabelle Sadowski, from Federation France Victimes (INAVEM), Leena-Kaisa Aberg, from Rikosuhripaivystys Suomessa (Victim support Finland, RIKU), and Supporting Justice UK, provided information on legal regulation and practice in targeted countries.
Here you can find the full report on Ensuring funding for victim support services
