Victoria Legal Aid

Victims of crime

Learn about rights and where to get support for people who have suffered physical or emotional injury, or financial loss because of a crime.

A victim of crime is someone who has suffered physical, psychological or emotional injury, or financial loss because of a crime, such as:

  • robbery
  • violent attack
  • family violence
  • sexual assault.

It may also include a person who has witnessed a crime or a family member of a person who was injured or killed.

Victims of crime have rights

Victoria has a Victims’ Charter Act 2006External Link that sets out how you should be treated by everyone handling your case. This includes police, the courts, the Office of Public Prosecutions and victim support agencies. If you believe that an organisation has not followed the charter, you can make a complaint to the Victims of Crime CommissionerExternal Link .

Read about our commitment to the victims' charter, and how to make a complaint about our treatment of victims of crime.

Publications and resources

Disclaimer: The material in this print-out relates to the law as it applies in the state of Victoria. It is intended as a general guide only. Readers should not act on the basis of any material in this print-out without getting legal advice about their own particular situations. Victoria Legal Aid disclaims any liability howsoever caused to any person in respect of any action taken in reliance on the contents of the publication.

We help Victorians with their legal problems and represent those who need it most. Find legal answers, chat with us online, or call us. You can speak to us in English or ask for an interpreter. You can also find more legal information at www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Reviewed 12 August 2022