(Strasbourg) The European Parliament finally approved the new Victims’ Rights Directive, with 440 for, 49 votes against, and 84 abstentions. This is a reform that updates the 2012 EU framework and adds stronger protective measures for victims of crime such as violence, sexual abuse, stalking and hate crime, as well as laying down binding standards on all of the 27 member states. For the very first time, the word “abortion” is expressly mentioned in a law of the European Union: as part of an integrated response to victims of sexual violence, the law involves access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, which may include – insofar as legally available and compliant with national regulations – “emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis treatment, testing for sexually-transmitted infections, and access to abortion”. The new measures include an enhanced recognition of particularly vulnerable victims (including victims of hate crime, children and people with disabilities), a stricter protection of privacy, and the option to report crimes online too. In addition, such Directive includes tailored support services based on the assessment of personal needs and adds a single European number for victims, i.e. 116 006, which is going to be implemented in all of the member states, as well as digital channels to provide information and quickly redirect to the support services.