February 22 EUROPEAN DAY OF CRIME VICTIMS
On EUROPEAN DAY OF THE VICTIM OF CRIME we want to remember that traffic victims are also victims of crime and that road violence can cause deaths and serious injuries with lifelong consequences.
In the 33 years since the first European Day of Victims of Crime, we have seen much progress in improving care for trafficking victims, especially in Catalonia with the SIAVT and INVICTES services that depend on the Servei Català de Trànsit.
However, after 20 years of EU legislation, victims are still unable to fully exercise their rights. Specifically in Spain – and according to official data from the Congress of Deputies – in 2021 only 45 trafficking victims were assisted by the crime victims office (see attached image). One of the reasons is the non-recognition of traffic victims as victims of crime, even though in most cases they are a consequence of attacks on Road Safety, the result of illicit, reckless and illegal conduct.
Failure to recognize the loss and suffering suffered by trafficking victims by society, the State and the judicial system can lead to secondary victimization, accentuating and chronicling their anguish and prolonging their pain unnecessarily.
This is why we have asked European Parliamentarians to take traffic victims into account when updating the directive that is going to be debated in the European Parliament. The #VictimasInvisibles campaign aims to give visibility to trafficking victims and for this we have also started a petition on change.org
“My sister was killed by a hit-and-run driver. When you are the victim of a road accident, your life, your values and safety are completely shaken. Justice and truth are fundamental pillars for many victims to rebuild. However, the current approach of the justice system is incomprehensible to victims. We have different priorities and needs and that is why offering efficient care is very complex. “The risk that victims harmed by road violence will feel unheard, misunderstood and re-victimized is real.” Traffic victim.
Yolanda Domenech, director of P(A)T commented that: “… in my professional experience throughout all these years I have heard the testimonies of hundreds of trafficking victims and the majority agree that their experience with the justice system criminal was like a second accident, with dire consequences for his life. Currently, justice generates secondary traumatization that leaves trafficking victims helpless, with a great feeling of abandonment and injustice. We need a judicial system that protects trafficking victims, guarantees truthful and objective information and addresses their needs at a time of great vulnerability and disorientation.”
