Act on Victims of Crime 2017

Brief Description

The Act on Victims of Crime has been adopted in October 2017 and will be effective from January 1st, 2018. The law represents the full transposition of Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 laying down minimum standards on the rights, promotion and protection of victims of crime into the legal order of the Slovak Republic. The law regulates the rights of victims of crime, compensation for victims of violent crime and a mechanism to support bodies providing assistance to victims of crime. In particular, the status of crime victims in criminal proceedings is strengthened. The definition of domestic violence is included in the act as well. Victims of domestic violence belong according to the act to vulnerable groups which are entitled to a specific treatment and specialized professional assistance. The act furthermore established the competence of Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of SR as the ministry responsible for the area of domestic violence and violence against children. Additionally, the sex as a specific motive of the crime has been included in the Criminal Code.