Victims of crime face significant difficulties in accessing financial compensation, as no payments have been made in the nine years since the Law on Rehabilitation of Crime Victims was adopted. The analysis was presented by expert Arina Turcan Dontu during hearings organized at the Parliament, IPN reports.
Barriers attested include complex procedures and strict conditions, such as the need for a final court judgment and the difficulty of proving the offender's inability to pay, the expert said.
Difficulties in qualifying the facts and the lack of a mechanism to advance payments in emergency situations were also mentioned.
According to the report, progress has been made in the area of legal aid following recent changes in legislation, but also in the provision of psychological counseling through the employment of psychologists in territorial social assistance structures.
The Chair of the Commission on Human Rights and Interethnic Relations, Grigore Novac, underlined the importance of close cooperation between all stakeholders to find sustainable solutions.
The commission will analyze the findings and proposals made during the hearings and will decide on further parliamentary scrutiny and possible proposals for legislative changes to ensure more effective protection and rehabilitation of victims of crime, said Grigore Novac.
