Information to victims

Have you been physically, sexually or psychologically harmed or injured, and would like to find out more about the assistance available to you? The Federal Act on Victim Support (VSA) aims to provide effective assistance to victims of crime and to strengthen their rights.

Who can benefit from victim assistance?

You are eligible for victim assistance if you are:

The victim of a criminal offence and have suffered a direct attack on your physical, sexual or psychological integrity.

A person assimilated to the victim (spouse, partner, parents, children, brothers and sisters or any other person who has a close relationship with the victim).

Victim assistance is granted if the crime was committed in Switzerland. If the crime was committed abroad, the consultation centers provide assistance if the victim or his/her next of kin were domiciled in Switzerland both at the time of the crime and when they submitted their application.

What offences are recognized by the Federal Act on Victims Support (VSA) and the Criminal Procedure Code?

The offences must be of a certain seriousness. The most common offences are as follows:

  • Homicide
  • Bodily injury (including negligence, in the case of a road accident or medical error, for example)
  • Assault
  • Serious threats
  • Forced marriage or partnership
  • Human trafficking
  • Sequestration and kidnapping
  • Sexual acts with children, sexual coercion, rape

What rights do victims have?

The law gives you rights if you are the victim of a crime, including the right to:

  • File a complaint
  • Take part in criminal proceedings against the offender and claim financial benefits (compensation and reparation for pain and suffering)
  • Obtain free information on decisions taken by the authorities and court rulings
  • be accompanied by a support person during hearings
  • Refuse to testify about facts that concern your private life
  • To be held in camera
  • No direct contact with the offender

 

Specific rights are provided in the case of offences against sexual integrity, in particular:

  • To be heard by a person of the same sex when filing a complaint
  • The court must include at least one person of the same sex.
  • That any translation of the interrogation be made by a person of the same sex

What does victim assistance include?

Under the Federal Act on Victim Support, you can benefit from the following services, depending on the case:

  • Free emergency assistance, which may include : emergency accommodation, crisis intervention by a psychotherapist, initial legal advice from a lawyer, provision of temporary accommodation, preventive safety measures.
  • Information and advice on the steps to take : for example, filing a criminal complaint, medical consultation, therapeutic support
  • Assistance, guidance and support in the steps you need to take
  • the opportunity to express your views in complete confidentiality
  • Under certain conditions, financial benefits (compensation, reparation for pain and suffering) issued by cantonal compensation authorities.

Who should I contact?

You are free to choose your own consultation center. This means that you can also consult a center in another canton. Advice is provided free of charge, confidentially and anonymously, throughout Switzerland.

You don't need to have filed a complaint or be willing to do so. The procedure for applying to the compensation authority is free of charge.

Swiss nationals who have been the victims of a crime committed abroad can contact a Swiss representation and contact the Helpline of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs +41 800 24 7 365 (365 days a year - 24 hours a day).

Virtual tours

Virtual tours of the Palais de Justice, the public prosecutor's Office and the Tribunal des mineurs enable victims to familiarize themselves with the various stages of criminal proceedings.

See also

Ministère public

En tant qu’autorité de poursuite pénale, le Ministère public est chargé de conduire l’enquête préliminaire et de superviser l’action de la police, puis de soutenir l’accusation lors du procès. Il est responsable de l’exercice uniforme de l’action publique, le procureur général définissant à cette fin la politique de poursuite des infractions pénales.

Tribunal pénal

Le Tribunal pénal statue sur les procédures pénales en tant qu'autorité cantonale de première instance.

Tribunal des mineurs

Le Tribunal des mineurs est la juridiction chargée de la poursuite et du jugement des infractions commises par les personnes âgées entre 10 et 18 ans au moment de l'acte. Il est également responsable de l'exécution des sanctions prononcées (peines et mesures de protection à but éducatif et/ou thérapeutique selon le droit pénal des mineurs (art. 12 à 15 DPMin)) à leur égard.