Victims – Support and assistance

True justice depends not only an states' ability to prosecute the perpetrators of a crime, but also on their capacity to restore the situation of victims. For over fifty years, the Council of Europe has contributed to building a common legal area based on the respect of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The fight against crime has been at the heart of these efforts. Since the 1980s, the Council of Europe has integrated the victims' perspective in its work in this field and has produced and updated a set of legal instruments to assist states in dealing with victims' needs. This book brings together these standards and is intended to provide a handy, comprehensive reference document.