Standing Alone in Front of the Perpetrator: The Importance of Supporting Victims in Court.
Warsaw, Poland – Antonio De Martin, Senior Project Manager at Victim Support Europe, opened a workshop that explained the importance of court-based support as found by the COVIS project.
Imagine you are testifying against the person you used to call the love of your life. Someone who, with time, started showing their true colors that led to mental, physical and sexual abuse that left you with severe anxiety, sleeping disorders and PTSD. You are now almost unable to perform day-to-day tasks like working or self-care. Now, after months of anguish and panic attacks, you are testifying in court. With none or barely any legal or emotional support you must relive the horrors you’ve endured in front of a full court and your abuser. This is the reality thousands of people face. However, this does not have to be the case and it can hopefully improve soon.
The past 6th of May at the European Network on Victim’s Rights Spring Expert meeting and Seminar 2025 in Warsaw, Antonio De Martin, Senior Project Manager at Victim Support Europe, opened a workshop explaining the importance of victim support during criminal proceedings as proved by COVIS (Court-Based Victim and Witness Support). This was an EU-funded project led by Victim Support Sweden, in partnership with APAV Portugal, V-SAC Ireland, RIKU Finland, Offeradgivningen Denmark and Victim Support Europe. It assessed the impact and value of court-based assistance and mapped the availability of these services in the member states of the EU.
Chart presenting the COVIS project findings.
The research project measured the impact of court-based support by interviewing and surveying victims, witnesses and criminal justice professionals in two courts in Portugal and twelve courts in Sweden. The findings demonstrate that court-based support made the victims feel better informed and that they were able to give their best possible testimony. Additionally, they felt supported, calm and safe. The vast majority stated they would recommend court-based support.
Interestingly, the research results show that court-based support is beneficial on several levels, not only for victims. First, it provides victims with enhanced participation and knowledge of the process, ensures emotional well-being and increased safety. For the justice system it provides more effective testimonies, a reduced workload and enhanced efficiency thanks to an improved collaboration with criminal justice actors. Finally, in the long run, for the wider society, court-based support contributes to lowering the societal cost of healthcare and welfare systems, fostering economic and social resilience and an increased public trust in justice.
Antonio De Martin (left) presenting the COVIS project at the European Network on Victim’s Rights Spring Expert meeting and Seminar 2025 in Warsaw, Poland.
The ideal conditions for an effective and beneficial court-based support system are comprehensive and diverse services that are available for all victims- that extends to witnesses and family members- that are available across the whole state territory. However, in most member states of the EU court-based support is either limited or not available everywhere, to everyone and/or at any time. The justice system cannot be truly fair or effective without properly supporting the people they rely on the most: victims and witnesses. Court-based support should be an obligatory requirement to all member states based on universal standards. The implementation of this is what sets the ground for a well-functioning system.
Following De Martin’s workshop opening, professionals from three member states presented how court-based support operates in their countries. They were Isabelle Vanderhoeven, a policy officer at the Justice and Enforcement Agency in Belgium; Daria Dušević, a support officer at the county court of Rijeka, Croatia; and Maria José Castello-Branco, a senior legal adviser in Portugal. Their presentations detailed what court-based support services their respective countries offer, who provides them and to whom, what they entail and how this service impacts the individuals, the justice system and society at large.
