At a recent conference organised by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties on victim’s rights, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence Mr. Alan Shatter stated that the rights of crime victims will be a priority under Ireland’s EU Presidency in 2013 if current proposals are not adopted in Brussels by the end of the year.
The ICCL conference, held on 12 of April, was on the topic of the EU Directive on Victim’s Rights and entitled, “The EU Directive on Victims’ Rights: Opportunities and Challenges for Ireland”. The conference brought together numerous experts from both Ireland and further afield and dealt comprehensively with the benefits and shortcomings of the Directive. Provisions within the draft Directive include the rights of victims to receive information, to access victim support services, to understand and be understood, to potentially get reimbursed for expenses and rights in the event of a decision not to prosecute.
Maria McDonald, an Irish barrister practising in Criminal and Civil Law spoke at the conference on the draft Victims of Crime Bill 2011. Ms McDonald has drafted this bill following a request by AdVIC (Advocates for Victims of Homicide). PILA referred Ms McDonald to AdVIC through its pro bono referral scheme. Other speakers included Prof Anthony Pemberton of the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, who stated that, “the transposition (of the victims rights Directive) into domestic law is important, but only the first step”.
Click here for a press release from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
Click here to read an article by the Irish Times.
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