Compatibility of Institutional Practices in Law Enforcement, Health and Welfare and Generic Victim Support Entry Points with the Standards of the EU Directive 2012-29 on Identification, Individualized needs Assessment and Referral of Victims of Crime

Victims of crime require special attention and support from state and non-state institutions such as the police, the prosecution office, the courts, social welfare centers, health institutions and victim support organizations in order to ensure that they receive appropriate information, support and protection. The Report ‘Compatibility of institutional practices in law enforcement, health and welfare and generic victim support entry points with the standards of the EU Directive 2012-29 on identification, individualized needs assessment and referral of victims of crime’ is focused on mapping the current practice of main actors interacting with victims in Serbia (law enforcement, health services and victim support services) with regard to the identification, needs assessment and referral of victims. The analysis revealed that only victims of domestic violence and juvenile victims are clearly identified as victims in Serbia; identification is not a clear process in either law or practice across entry points and the timeliness of identification is not an explicit requirement. To conclude, legislative and practical gaps still need to be addressed in Serbia to ensure compliance with the standards of Directive 2012-29. Recommendations focus on the need to strengthen the legislative protection of victims through legislative reform, the need to standardize practice across entry points, to design a common referral mechanism and procedures, to establish a general or single centralized service for assistance and information; to strengthen coordination mechanisms and to establish a single entry point to the victim support system through a 24-7 national phone line and to facilitate the exchange of practice and experience and provide common training of professionals dealing with victims. Privacy and data protection issues need to be explicitly addressed.