Foreword

• Author: Michael O'Flaherty
• Profession: Director
• Pages: 1-2

1

Crime harms individual victims, their loved ones, as well as society as a whole.

Its effects are multi-faceted, causing physical, psychological and material injury.

Fear of crime can be almost equally damaging, often changing how people

live their daily lives.

Crime undermines the individual rights of victims, including their core

fundamental rights, such as the right to life and human dignity. The EU Charter

of Fundamental Rights obliges states to protect these rights. The Charter and

the Victims’ Rights Directive also give victims a right to redress and to be treated

without discrimination. In addition, victims’ property and consumer protection

rights can be affected.

This report presents results from FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey – the f‌irst

EU-wide survey to collect comparable data on people’s experiences with,

concern about, and responses to select types of crime. It focuses on violence

and harassment, as well as on certain property crimes. The survey reached

out to 35,000 people in the EU, the United Kingdom and North Macedonia.

Many EU Member States carry out crime victimisation surveys. But these

surveys cover different time periods and types of crime, and phrase questions

differently. This makes it diff‌icult to compare f‌indings. FRA’s survey used the

same questionnaire in all countries covered. As such, it is an important new

data source to inform both policy efforts and action on the ground.

The results underscore that some people are more vulnerable to crime than

others. The young – aged between 16 and 29 – experience both more physical

violence and harassment, on- and off‌line. So do people who do not identify

as heterosexual, and people who have disabilities or health issues that limit

their activities.

Gender differences are also striking. Men most often face violence in public

settings, while women often encounter threats in their own home. Women

also face more harassment of a sexual nature.

Not surprisingly, more women than men avoid certain places or people to avoid

the risk of harm. Shockingly, 83 % of women aged between 16 and 29 limit

where they go or who they spend time with to protect themselves.

Among property crimes, consumer fraud looms large, though rates vary greatly

from country to country. Large differences across the Union may also stem

from cultural differences. For example, experiences with misuse of online bank

accounts or payment cards differ considerably – suggesting that their use is

not equally common.

Surveys have long shown low crime reporting rates. Our survey also reveals a

certain pragmatism. While most violence and harassment is not reported, most

people do report property crimes, largely because they need a police report

for their insurance claim.

Foreword