Abstract:

Victim protection has intensifi ed in the last 40 years with the scientifi c support and development of victimology. In parallel with international insistence on the protection of human rights and the strengthening of professional knowledge on the importance of the historically marginalised role of the victim in criminal proceedings in the European continental circle, international legal awareness of the state’s obligation to protect and support victims of serious crimes is defi ned by numerous international documents. In this sense, Directive 2012/29/EU on the establishment of minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, which was implemented in Croatian legislation by amendments to the Criminal Code, also plays a signifi cant role in the European legal area. However, apart from the already unquestionably suffi cient normative basis of the protection of victims in criminal proceedings, the question arises as to whether victims in practice really receive the protection and support provided to them through legislation. Guided by this opinion, the authors conducted a short survey among victim support departments and civil society organisations as the main services for assistance and support during criminal proceedings in order to review the ways, frequency and potential practical challenges that victims face in exercising their rights in practice.

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