The Regional Minister of Justice, Gabriela Bravo, said on Monday that Orihuela and Torrevieja is to have an office for the Care of Victims of Crime following regional approval for a network of 21 such offices throughout the Region that have been approved by the Valencian Generalitat.
The body will be directly managed by the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration, Democratic Reforms and Civil Liberties, and it will provide citizens with comprehensive care including legal, psychological and social assistance if they have been victims or witnesses of a crime.
She said that this is a pioneering project in Spain designed for victims of crime, who are so often forgotten by the judicial system, to have all the necessary help to guide them through the judicial process and, above all, to help them cope with the psychological and social effects that can present such a traumatic episode .
A total of 21 offices will be opened in Valencia. There will be one in each provincial capital and 18 others in Alzira, Sueca, Gandia, Xàtiva, Paterna, Requena, Sagunto, Torrent, Catarroja, Alcoi, Benidorm, Denia, Elche, Elda, Orihuela, Torrevieja, Vila-Real and Vinaròs with the facilities in Castellón, Valencia, Alicante and Elche also accommodating a multidisciplinary team of lawyers, psychologists, social workers and criminologists which will also support the regional offices.
In 2017, the network will have an initial budget of 1,1 million euros although this amount is open to possible budget changes if necessary.
As well as the specific protocols followed by the offices they will also address the needs of groups thought to be most vulnerable in addition to victims of gender violence, minors, the mentally and physically disabled, people experiencing social exclusion, victims of human trafficking, sexual assault, hate crimes and those who are still affected by events from the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.
The Department of Justice will manage the offices, in coordination with the Vice President and Ministry of Equality and Inclusive Policy, a network that already pays particular attention to victims of gender violence, so their offices may also be used as the coordinating centres for the application of restraining orders in cases of domestic violence abuse.
