The Government, through the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, has approved the ministerial order establishing the administrative units of the Offices for Assistance to Victims of Crime (OAVD) of Ceuta and Melilla, which will see an increase of two in the total number of places allocated in the offices of both autonomous cities.
In addition, the approval of the aforementioned ministerial order gives the green light to the creation of the administrative units of the Office of Assistance to Victims of Crime of the National High Court (3 newly created places in its central bodies), of the Office of Information and Assistance to Victims of Terrorism of the National High Court (maintains 2 places in its central bodies) and of the Offices of Assistance to Victims of Crime of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Toledo, Ávila, Burgos, León, Ferrada, Salamanca, Badajoz, Seville,
In total, the Government approves the creation of 28 new jobs, thus doubling the personnel of the Administration of Justice who work in these assistance offices.
The OAVD is configured as a multidisciplinary service of attention to the needs of the victim, of a public and free nature, in attention to the rights included in the European regulations and in the Statute of the victim of crime.
The offices are units dependent on the ministry, which will be composed of personnel attached to the Administration of Justice, in addition to professionals of psychology or any technical personnel deemed necessary for the provision of the service. They offer comprehensive assistance to support and accompany victims during the process, providing them with information in the legal and social field, referring them to all available public resources.
In addition, OAVDs provide psychological assistance when required, before, during and, for an appropriate period of time, after the conclusion of the criminal proceedings. They provide information adapted to the personal circumstances of the victims and the nature of the crimes committed, thus deepening the concept of “justice of care”, which is one of the strategic lines of the ministry, pointed out by Minister Félix Bolaños last December before the Justice Commission of the Congress of Deputies.
Free access and no prior report
The service provided by the offices is not conditional on the prior presentation of a complaint, so that the victims can access it prior to the exercise of any criminal action. Its work is especially important in cases of gender-based violence, since 75% of the victims served are victims of crimes of this nature.
As a great novelty, the new Office of Assistance to Victims of Crime of the National High Court will be put into operation, in order to support all citizens who are victims of a crime whose prosecution falls within the competence of this body, especially highlighting the various macro-causes with a large number of victims that are addressed in it. This office of the National High Court joins the already existing Office of Information and Assistance to Victims of Terrorism.