Victims' rights - by country

France

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France

I am a victim of crime who do I contact for support and assistance?

Victim support structures are listed in a directory of victim support associations: Annuaire des associations d’aide aux victimes.

You can contact the victim support association closest to where you live.

Victim support hotline

Specific victim assistance:

  • Children in danger: 119 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Missing children: 116 000 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Violence against women: 3919 — 7 days a week, Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 22.00 and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9.00 to 18.00
  • Rape and sexual assault: 0 800 05 95 95 — Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 19.00
  • Racist acts: 01 40 35 36 55 — Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10.30 to 13.30
  • Homophobic acts: 01 48 06 42 41 — Monday to Friday from 18.00 to 22.00, Saturday from 14.00 to 16.00 and Sunday from 18.00 to 20.00
  • School bullying: 3020 — Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 20.00 and Saturday from 9.00 to 18.00

Is victim support free?

Yes, the help provided by victim support associations is completely free.

What types of support can I receive from state services or authorities?

Medical help:

A victim can consult a doctor and obtain certificates recording his or her injuries by visiting a hospital.

Domestic violence:

Regardless of marital status, in case of danger, a victim may make an urgent application to a family court judge (juge aux affaires familiales) at the regional court (tribunal de grande instance) to obtain a protection order provisionally giving him or her the use of the family home and excluding a violent partner.

Legal aid:

Each regional court has a victim support office (bureau d’aide aux victimes) run by a victim support association. These offices inform, guide and accompany the victims of criminal offences, and explain the functioning of the courts to them and any proceedings concerning them that may be in progress. This enables victims to keep abreast of:

  • any steps taken as a matter of urgency, such as an immediate appearance in court (comparution immédiate);
  • the progress of criminal proceedings.

Victims will always be guided towards any compensation mechanism for which they may qualify.

The assistance given is free and confidential.

What types of support can I receive from non-governmental organisations?

Victim support associations assist victims throughout the proceedings by providing free legal and welfare information and psychological support. Their representatives can assist victims when they are filing a complaint or asking to be treated as a civil party to the criminal proceedings. They may also attend criminal hearings and help the victim to understand the procedural steps and the decisions taken by the different players.

Victim support associations may have a presence in gendarmerie and police stations, hospitals, courthouses, social welfare offices, etc. Their addresses and telephone numbers are available from the courts and from gendarmerie and police stations, and also from the directory accessible through this link.

Alongside these ordinary victim support associations, there are numerous other associations that have no special recognition working in particular areas such as personal injury, domestic violence, traffic accidents, medical errors, etc. Some associations specialising in helping female victims of violence can provide women and their children with temporary accommodation.

Last update: 04/07/2018

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