- I was a victim of a criminal offence: consequences and reactions
- The rights of victims of a criminal offence
- Right to be treated with respect and dignity
- Right to privacy
- Right to information about rights from the first contact with the competent authority
- Right to be heard
- Right to interpretation and translation
- Right to be accompanied by a victim support association
- Right to be accompanied by a legal representative and an adult of your choice
- Right to declare a third party’s address as a home address (with their consent)
- Right to return of property
- Right to compensation
- Right to legal aid
- Right to an individualised assessment
- Right to specific protection measures
- Social protection rights
- Right to an alternative to criminal proceedings: mediation
- Right to benefit from restorative justice measures
- Right to information on appeals and remedies
- Criminal proceedings
- Who is who in criminal proceedings
Victim support associations
It is important for victims to feel supported and accompanied. To this end, there is a network of 130 professional victim support associations, federated within the France Victimes Network.
These associations are specialised in legal support for victims and are present throughout France and in the French overseas territories. Their aim is to provide comprehensive and multidisciplinary support to anyone who considers themselves to be the victim of a criminal offence, in France or abroad (if the victim is of French nationality). Victim support associations are open to any member of the public, their services are free of charge and interviews are confidential.
Every group within in the France Victimes Network offers an attentive listening to identify all the victim’s difficulties. They also provide psychological help, information on victims’ rights and how to claim them, social support and, if necessary, referral to specialised services (lawyers, social and medical-psychological services, insurance, etc.).
These services can also be accessed through the national victim support number 116 006 (accessible from abroad by dialling +33 (0)1 80 52 33 76), which is an EU-wide number managed in France by the Federation France Victimes.
The mission of the 116 006 helpline is to provide a sympathetic ear to victims of criminal offences in order to provide them with initial general information and to refer them towards associations or structures adapted to their needs, for local support.
This number is free, anonymous, and confidential, and it is available 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The victim support associations of the France Victimes Network, approved by the Ministry of Justice, can also be found within judicial tribunals and certain Courts of Appeal, in the Victim Support Offices, in order to accompany victims during trials.
To find a France Victimes victim support association close to where you live, click here.
There are also other specialised associations that can intervene in the care of certain victims (e.g. women victims of domestic violence, child victims, etc.).