Starting Out

(1) What is a Victim?
(2) Every organisation named in this charter will
(3) Restrictions to information

Becoming a Victim of Crime can be a deeply traumatic experience. It can be daunting for victims to begin the process of dealing with and recovering from their experience. The Victims Charter and this website is designed to provide victims of crime information on supports that are available to them and to their rights as set out set out in Irish Law.

When you become a victim of crime it is important that you get support at every stage of the journey after the crime has been committed. Support is available to you from a range of State Agencies in the Criminal Justice System, as well as a national network of voluntary groups who work with victims of crime, as you make your way through this journey.

The Victims Charter sets out how to get in touch with those services and what support you can expect to receive from them. A number of these services can also help you to understand your rights as a victim of crime. The Charter also describes the Criminal Justice System so that you can understand what to expect in your interaction with it.

‘A ‘victim’ means:

1. a person who has suffered harm, including physical, mental or emotional harm or economic loss, which was directly caused by a
   criminal offence;
2. family members of a person whose death was directly caused by a criminal offence and who have suffered harm as a result of that
   person’s death. (This does not include family members who have been charged with or are under investigation in connection with the death.

This definition is taken from the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act, 2017, section 2(1) and 2(2).

• speak or write to you in simple and easy-to-understand language, taking account of your ability to understand and to make yourself
  understood;
• be sensitive to your needs if you cannot read or write very well;
• provide an interpreter and translation if English is not your first language so that you can take part in the investigation or to act as a
  witness in court;
• take your specific needs and requirements into account if you have any form of disability;
• treat you with dignity and respect, whatever your gender, race, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, nationality,
  disability, economic circumstances, marital or family status, or if you are a member of the Traveller community.

When you contact any of the organisations named in this Charter, please tell them of your specific needs, so that they can try to address them.

Each organisation will always aim to give you the information you ask for, but sometimes, under the law, they may not be free to give you certain information if:

• it interferes with a criminal investigation;
• it might damage a criminal case before the courts, now or in the future;
• it might endanger someone’s personal safety;
• it might endanger the security of the state.

Any decision not to give you information for any of these reasons must be made by a person authorised to make these decisions.