20
May
2026
Watch
Rights, support and protection of victims of crime (debate)
Madam President, I'm sorry. As a lawyer and former Polish Deputy Minister of Justice, I know one thing: The law should not only serve to punish crimes. The right is first and foremost a tool to protect our citizens, and justice is first and foremost restoring the voice of victims. The amendments to this Directive are not purely symbolic. Our Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity. It is our duty to create a system for those to whom this dignity has been attempted to be taken away. It is therefore time to give our citizens the strength to fully exercise their rights, access to information, access to legal aid, to psychological assistance, to properly trained staff, to benefit from a system that genuinely supports children, victims of sexual crimes and immigrants – yes, far-right, immigrants too – and those who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Today we are sending a strong signal in Europe that we will not consent to violence. Social democracy will always be on the side of those whose freedom has been violated, as opposed to the hate-crazy far right.