Day-long conference to explore best practice in implementation of EU Victims’ Directive

A day-long conference co-hosted by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), The Bar of Ireland and the Law Society of Ireland will today discuss best practice in the implementation of the EU Victims’ Directive.

The EU Victims’ Directive was implemented in Ireland in November 2017 when the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 became law, establishing EU-wide standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime.

Maria McDonald BL, founder of the Victims’ Rights Alliance and the ICCL’s victims’ rights expert, said: “As of last year, there are minimum legal standards for protecting victims in place, thanks to the EU Victims’ Directive being made law in Ireland.

“During this conference we will seek to explore and challenge how victims are treated within the criminal justice system and ask how we can best help them to testify in court. For example, there have been cases where requests by children to have an object such as a teddy bear with them in court when giving video-link evidence of sexual abuse have been denied. We can do better than this.”

Among the topics of discussion today will be the conduct of cross-examinations, the impact of Brexit, and the potential role for courtroom dogs and intermediaries to support vulnerable victims and children.

A representative from the Seattle-based Courthouse Dogs Foundation will speak about the impact that specially trained court dogs can have in helping particularly vulnerable victims, such as child victims of sexual abuse, to testify in court.

Other speakers include Judith Thompson, commissioner for victims and survivors in Northern Ireland, and Margaret Tuite, EU Commission co-ordinator for the rights of the child.

Paul McGarry SC, chairman of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, said: “As barristers, our role is to advocate fearlessly for access to justice on behalf of our clients, but there is an important balance to be struck to ensure that cross examination is conducted in a way that is reasonable and fair to the person in the stand.

“We welcome the introduction of EU legislation that sets a clear and definable benchmark for victims’ rights, and we look forward to a robust discussion about best practice in its implementation at the Victims Directive Conference.”

Michael Quinlan, president of the Law Society of Ireland, said: “Victims of crime turn to their solicitor at perhaps the most difficult time in their lives to seek justice and vindicate their rights. The Law Society has long advocated for enhanced rights for victims of crime, particularly vulnerable victims and children. We now wholly support the changes provided for in the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017.

“This conference provides us with the opportunity to reflect on how we as a profession can ensure that those legislative safeguards are fully implemented to protect victims of crime.”