Hungary enhances victim protection

Senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, three ministries and another three state bodies signed an agreement on their cooperation in enhancing victim protection in Budapest on Friday.

The new National Victim Support Coordination Mechanism “is another milestone in victim protection,” Róbert Répássy, the state secretary signing the agreement on behalf of the justice ministry, said after the ceremony. The signatories have realised the importance of establishing a cooperation mechanism aimed at more effectively protecting victims and promoting their rights, he said. Répássy noted that the justice ministry was to soon complete the task of setting up a victim assistance network across the country.

He said the goal of the cooperation mechanism was to create a simplified “single window” system offering victims of crime the easiest possible access to assistance by authorities. “By involving the National Crime Prevention Council in the cooperation mechanism, the goal of preventing victimisation will be an important focus area,” said Répássy.

Ágnes Hornung, the family affairs state secretary signing the agreement for the culture and innovation ministry, said the cooperation mechanism was aimed at providing people in an acute crisis situation immediate and effective help. She noted that capacity in crisis centres set up to help victims of domestic violence had increased three-fold since 2010. These shelters offer victims comprehensive help including psychological assistance. According to figures by the ministry’s secretariat for family affairs, there are 20 crisis centres, 8 protected victim shelters and 7 crisis clinics operating in Hungary.

The agreement was also signed by István György, the regional public administration state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, and Attila Fülöp, the interior ministry’s state secretary, as well as by National Crime Prevention Council President József Hatala, National Hospitals Director Zoltan Jenei and National Police Chief János Balogh.

According to the secretariat for family affairs, the justice ministry will oversee services provided to victims of various crimes, the interior ministry will coordinate the government’s anti-human trafficking measures, monitor help provided to trafficking victims and oversee child protection, whereas the cultural and innovation ministry’s task will be to operate services for victims of domestic violence.