UNITY

UNIVERSAL COURT DOCUMENTATION FOR ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION FOR VULNERABLE VICTIMS

101299215- UNITY

The UNITY project strengthens the capacity of justice system in providing accessible documentation, information and communication to victims of crime, persons with disabilities in a gender-, age- inclusive manner.

This project co-funded by the European Union is implemented between June 2026 and May 2028 in 5 EU countries: Croatia, Lithuania, Malta, Spain and Portugal. The project consortium includes:  

• Validity Foundation (project coordinator and implementer in Hungary) 
• Funka Foundation from Sweden
• SL Consult from Austria
• Victim and Witness Support Service Croatia from Croatia
• Mental Health Perspectives from Lithuania
• Victim Support Malta Foundation from Malta
• National Federation of Social Solidarity Co-operatives from Portugal
• Portuguese Association for Victim Support from Portugal
• Confederation Plena Inclusion from Spain

Project Objectives

Barriers to Accessing Justice

Women, older persons and persons with disabilities experience persistent access to justice barriers, undermining their rights to information, communication and redress in criminal proceedings across the EU.

It takes the form of information/ communication provided in a formal manner, using legal jargon, and these barriers are compounded by sexist, ableist and ageist attitudes that result in additional barriers to participation.

Further, persistent intersectional barriers prevent women, older persons and persons with disabilities, from obtaining information they need to access legal aid and support to be able to exercise their rights.

Project Objective and Specific Objectives

The UNITY project aims to improve information and communication for women, older persons and persons with disabilities in the criminal justice system.

To achieve this, the action is structured to achieve 4 specific objectives:

• Create guidance and tools on how to produce accessible, gender and age-inclusive legal documentation and information on victims’ rights, proceedings, including on compensation
• Build capacity of criminal justice and support professionals on how to produce and impart accessible information and support communication, including in remote hearings, using Easy-to-read, plain language and with AAC symbols, with the support of generative AI tools, in an intersectional manner;
• Improve accessibility of court and victim support services through protocols and tools of individual needs assessments, templates and interview formats to modernise how information and communication is assured for persons with diverse communication needs, in an age and gender appropriate language;
• Strengthen coordination and collaboration with disability person organisations and accessibility services to ensure accessibility of court and support services information and documentation

Implementation Methods

We are measuring how accessible and inclusive the communication, information, and documentation provided by courts and support services are. Our goal is to ensure that women, older persons and persons with disabilities can easily understand their rights, legal proceedings, and case files. To do so, we are bringing together women, older persons and persons with disabilities with experience in the justice system, and their representative organisations, criminal justice professionals, and victim support organisations.

We are developing step-by-step guidance and practical tools to help criminal justice and victim support professionals to produce accessible, gender- and age-inclusive legal documentation. This includes clear information on victims’ rights, legal proceedings, and compensation. They will be formatted in plain language, Easy-to-Read formats, or with helpful pictures and symbols, while being compatible with assistive technology and potentially deploying Generative AI.

We are building stronger cooperation between courts, victim support organisations, and OPDs. By working together, these stakeholders can streamline court-related processes and make vital legal information readily available in a variety of accessible formats tailored to the needs of women, older persons, and persons with disabilities.

We are delivering intersectional training to help justice and support professionals understand how to provide tailored and accessible legal documentation. This training provides information on how to conduct individual needs assessments, use structured templates, and ethically use victim-centric Generative AI to make their communication more efficient.

We are empowering women, older persons, and disability rights organisations to actively co-produce accessible information. By working directly with courts and victim support services, they will help design the very communication tools used during legal and criminal proceedings.

Full Name of the Project

Universal Court Documentation for Accessible Information for Vulnerable Victims (101299215 – UNITY – JUST-2025-JACC-EJUSTICE)

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission (DG-JUST). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.