- Know Your Rights
- What to expect when attending court
- Going to the Criminal Courts of Justice as a victim or witness – a guide
- The ‘Know Your Rights’ awareness campaign
Know Your Rights
Becoming a victim of crime can be a deeply traumatic experience.
It you’ve been the victim of a crime, you should know both what to expect when accessing the Criminal Justice system and what your legal rights are.
The ‘Victims of Crime - Know Your Rights’ campaign informs people of their rights in an accessible manner and helps victims of crime to access the services and supports available.
What to expect when attending court
Victims of crime and witnesses in trials may be asked to attend court and, potentially, to give evidence.
Going to court can be a daunting experience, but there are a range of supports and services available to you to help you along your journey.
You can find out more about what to expect when attending court at the Criminal Courts of Justice building in Dublin through the information videos below.
Going to the Criminal Courts of Justice as a victim or witness – a guide
The ‘Know Your Rights’ awareness campaign
Becoming a Victim of Crime can be a deeply traumatic experience. When someone becomes a victim of a crime, they need to know they are not alone and where they can turn to get help. That help can come from our legal system, but it can also come from many organisations who can offer support and understanding in coming to terms with what has happened.
It can be incredibly daunting to enter a Garda Station or Criminal Court for the first time. The aim of the ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign is to ensure victims are aware of what their rights are, know what to expect as they engage our justice system, and know that they will be supported at every step.
The ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign is a major step in improving how we support victims of crime, especially since the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017, which provide, for the first time, a comprehensive framework of statutory rights for victims of crime.
‘Know Your Rights’ runs across TV, local and national radio, and digital and social channels. It directs people to the VictimsCharter.ie website. Victimscharter.ie sets out your rights in an easily accessible manner, and helps victims of crime to locate services and supports available.
Two TV adverts – ‘Diversity’ and ‘Translations’ – form the centrepiece of the campaign, and were developed with marginalised, minority and harder-to-reach communities in mind.