Network of Support and Cooperation for Victims and Witnesses of Criminal Offences

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To extend the victim and witness support system and ensure support to citizens across Croatia, the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation initiated the establishment and financing of a partnership network of civil society organisations which provide support and assistance to victims and witnesses in the counties in which there are no victim and witness support departments at courts.
 
Funding for civil society organisations providing support to victims and witnesses of crimes and misdemeanours is generated from part of the revenue from games of chance, based on a public tender conducted by the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation.
 
Civil society organisations involved in the programme of the Network of Support and Cooperation for Victims and Witnesses of Crime were selected through a public tender. 
 
The programme is implemented in three-year cycles, and the first cycle started on 1 January 2018 and was implemented in 13 counties where no victim and witness support departments were established at county courts and in 4 counties where there were such departments. The second three-year cycle was carried out from 2021 to 2023 in 17 counties, while the third cycle, which started in 2024, is carried out in 18 counties. 

The coordinator of the Network of Support and Cooperation for Victims and Witnesses of Crime is Women's Room, and the network consists of 11 partner civil society organisations that carry out their activities in selected 18 counties.
 
Civil society organisations involved in the programme of the Network of Support and Cooperation for Victims and Witnesses of Criminal Offences provide the following services for victims and witnesses:
 
  • emotional and practical support, technical and practical information and information on their rights;
  • psychological and legal counselling (at the premises of the organisation or other adequate location) to victims who have reported a crime or misdemeanour and those who have not; the support is available by telephone, email or in person;
  • accompaniment to the court and support at info desks within court premises;
  • accompaniment to competent institutions (police, state attorney’s office, regional office of the Institute for Social Work, etc.) on the territory of the CSO’s seat and in other locations during the opening hours of the institutions;
  • phone counselling Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another important activity of the organisations is to raise public awareness about victims' rights and the victim and witness support system in Croatia (leaflets, brochures, posters, media/promotional activities) and cooperation with the competent authorities. 
 
At the beginning of each three-year cycle, all the staff and volunteers of the civil society organisations included in the programme complete a three-day basic training as well as an additional two-day training to increase their levels of knowledge, skills and competences for assistance and support to victims and witnesses. To sensitise and inform the public about the victim and witness support system in Croatia, leaflets have been produced and a media campaign organised, along with round tables and other promotional activities. 
 
The Ministry, Public Administration and Digital Transformation continuously supervises the activities of the partner organisations in the Network and provides them with professional guidance and advice.
 
More information on the Network of Support and Cooperation for Victims and Witnesses of Criminal Offences is available here.