Who Is A Victim Of Crime?
Article 2 of Chapter 539 of the Laws of Malta defines a victim as:
- a natural person who has suffered harm, including physical, mental or emotional harm or economic loss which was directly caused by a criminal offence;
- family members of a person whose death was directly caused by a criminal offence and who have suffered harm as a result of that person’s death;
- minors who are witnesses of forms of violence.
What Are A Victim's Rights?
A victim has the following rights:
- shall be communicated, verbally or in writing, in simple understandable language;
- on first contact with a competent authority may be accompanied by a person of his choice in order to understand or be understood;
- the first competent authority in contact with the victim must inform the person with all the rights;
- be able to file a police report and given a copy of the report as expedient as possible;
- be informed about the criminal proceedings and if the offender is released from detention;
- be assisted with legal aid services.
How To Proceed As A Victim Of Crime
A person who is identified as a victim of crime, after getting in contact with the first competent authority may ask to be assisted with legal aid services. The person will be referred to Legal Aid Malta Agency to initiate the process to assign the person with a legal aid lawyer. You can also fill in the online form.
