the rights of victims according to the criminal procedure act of republic of croatia - needs of the victim and practical experience from the perspective of the victim and witness support offices

Abstract

The subject of this paper is to analyze the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act relating to the general rights of victims and the rights of victims of criminal offenses against sexual freedom and human trafficking. The goal was to determine the relationship between the statutory rights of the victims and their needs, as well as to analyze how the application of these rights affects the victim’s status, a sense of security and protection. Intention was to analyze whether the Act contributes to the prevention of retraumatization and revictimization of victims and if it increases confidence in the judicial system. These effects can be achieved primarily by timely informing victims about their rights, and then by providing those rights in the practice. The analysis made is based on the experience of officials from Victims and Witnesses Support Offices. The purpose of this paper is to promote the implementation of the rights that victims have according the Criminal Procedure Act in order to enable their wellbeing.