Victims with disabilities must not be left behind.
Victim Support Europe has submitted recommendations to the European Commission to strengthen the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities up to 2030, ensuring it fully reflects the lived realities of victims with disabilities.
Despite strong legal frameworks at EU level, many victims still face inaccessible justice systems, limited safeguards, and inadequate access to specialised support. These barriers are particularly severe for women, children, and people in institutional or dependent settings. Violence and abuse against persons with disabilities remain under-reported, under-addressed, and too often overlooked.
Our submission calls for a more rights-based, victim-centred Strategy that builds trust in justice systems and strengthens democratic resilience. We urge the EU to:
- Guarantee accessible, victim-centred justice and support services (including digital access)
- Align the Strategy with the Victims’ Rights Directive and the UN CRPD
- Close gaps in accessibility, protection, and inclusion
- Ensure sustainable funding and effective implementation
- Address risks in institutional and closed settings
- Strengthen professional training across systems
- Mainstream disability and victims’ rights across all EU policies
Victims with disabilities are not an afterthought, they are rights-holders entitled to dignity, protection, and justice on an equal basis.
