Which is the harder to endure? Crime? Or dealing with its psychological, legal and economic afterburn? For any of the 75 million victims in the EU every year, there's no easy answer. It's terrible at any stage. For that reason, MEPs are beefing up the help European citizens can access away from home if they're the victims of crime. Assault, mugging, rape, hate crime, human trafficking or terrorism. Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio, co-sponsoring the legislation through Parliament, lost her brother to ETA terrorists 14 years ago and knows the value of support. For me the most important thing of this directive is that the victim becomes confident with justice, even away from his country. Europe is going to put the victim in the centre and they are going to help them psychologically, economically and legally. At Accord victim support group in Strasbourg, they've plenty of experience steering victims through the consequences of crime. No victim wanted to be interviewed. Its President spoke for them. There is a need for information about their rights, for support through the legal procedures which can be very complex. There is also a need, depending on the individual, for psychological care and for social help. The idea is that victims get standardised help anywhere in the EU, particularly with language problems, and that the category of people deemed vulnerable - old people, children, people with disabilities and rape victims - is widened. It's different in different states. Some have a high level of standards and some have to achieve the standards. Nothing can take away the memory of a crime committed against anyone but the right care afterwards can help.
EuroparlTV video ID: 09f682e6-84f4-4907-9dcc-a0c9012582fd