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The Challenge

The nature and extent of victimization is not adequately understood across the world. Millions of people throughout the world suffer harm as a result of crime, the abuse of power, terrorism and other stark misfortunes. Their rights and needs as victims of this harm have not been adequately recognized.

The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power in 1985. This provides a universal bench mark by which progress can be assessed in meeting the needs of victims of crime and abuse of power.

Much progress has been made since 1985 primarily by governments in Western Europe, North America and elsewhere. They have implemented programs and laws to give effect to those basic principles but even in affluent countries much work remains. Additional resources are needed everywhere especially for countries that are developing and in transition.

The convention on trans-national organized crime includes a specific section to protect the rights of victims as does the optional protocol on trafficking. By June, 2005, 99 nations had already ratified the Statute of Rome that establishes a permanent International Criminal Court which gives effect to the principles in the Declaration.

The rights of the victims of crime and abuse of power are still not adequately recognized in any part of the world. Their families, witnesses and others, who aid them, are still unjustly subjected to loss, damage or injury. They too often suffer hardship when assisting in the prosecution of offenders. The recent UN Congress in Bangkok also drew attention to the victims of terrorism.

Victims of stark misfortunes such as natural disasters, accidents and diseases share similar trauma, loss and suffering. Services to meet the needs of victims have much in common between victims of crime, abuse of power and stark misfortunes.

Action must be taken to advance research, services and awareness for victims across the world. This requires persons committed to these ideals, better services, more research, innovative education and training and continued advocacy and rights. It requires a process of assessing progress and acting to make the necessary improvements.

Mission of the World Society of Victimology:

Advancing research, services and awareness for victims

Purposes:

1. To promote research in victimology and on victim needs
WSV organizes research workshops on victimological issues and victim needs at its international symposia, including national and international surveys on victims, analysis of the consequences of victimisation and evaluations of the effectiveness of services and processes for victims. It fosters the publication of the proceedings from its international symposia. It makes available on its web site an international bibliography of documents on victimology and victim issues. Its research committee was created to advance victimological research throughout the world and encourage interdisciplinary and comparative work in this field. It is a partner with the Ministry of Justice of the Netherlands, and the UN Office for Drug and Crime Prevention in the www.victimology.nl which provides extensive documentation on victim issues on the web.

Aims:

• foster more research on the implementation of the UN Declaration, including the extent to which countries have implemented the Declaration and the barriers that must be overcome for greater implementation
• create the capacity to evaluate practices for victims according to recognised international standards
• foster research that compares the consequences and responses to victims of crime, abuse of power and other stark misfortunes.
• be recognized internationally as the leader for advancing research on victim issues and theory
• foster research on the extent to which the ICC has implemented services that meet the legislated needs of victims

2. To provide services for victim service providers and victimologists
WSV organizes workshops on services for victims at its international symposia. Its committee on victim services was established to provide a network of victim services around the globe and to develop a knowledge basis for training and technical assistance based on the International Declaration on the Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power.

Aims:

• support a data base of victim service agencies across the world in order to facilitate the referral of victims for services in countries where needed
• encourage list-serves for service providers, in major languages in addition to English
• bring together information on model practices so that reforms can benefit from best practices
• assist the International Criminal Court with its mandate to assist, protect and respect rights for victims
• determine the potential WSV role to facilitate financial, political leadership and bring together crisis intervention and other services for victims in extraordinary crises such as catastrophic incidents
• encourage relevant institutions and agencies – e.g. Human Rights Commissions – to monitor the availability and standards of services for victims.
  

3. To provide education and training.
The WSV organizes International Courses on Victimology and Victim Assistance. The two week course on victimology, victim assistance and criminal justice has been organized annually since 1984 in Dubrovnik. Similar courses on victimology and victim assistance have been organized for Asia in Mito, Japan since 1998, for Central America in San Salvador since 2001, for South America in Caracas since 2002, and a course was organised in South Africa in 2003. It worked with the UN to develop the Handbook on justice for victims on the use and application of the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. It has fostered the translation of this handbook into other languages including French and Spanish.

Aims:

• convince law schools and others involved in the training of criminal justice professionals to include courses on victimology, victim rights and issues, and convince those who certify qualifications, such as bar associations, law enforcement and judicial bodies to require this knowledge
• encourage university courses and degree programs on victimology, including victim assistance, victim rights, crisis response, restorative justice and victimisation prevention
• promote a system of credentials for victim service professionals (staff and volunteers) and establish international standards
• establish a program to mentor and develop leaders able to influence action on behalf of victims
• establish international courses in regions where they do not yet exist
• encourage reciprocal training of victim service practitioners from different countries
• host an annual training course for international victim service providers
• develop standards for curricula and disseminate training materials
• develop a mechanism for authorizing the use of the WSV logo and mission statements for courses and other activities

4. To advance advocacy and rights.
The WSV played a leadership role in promoting the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the UN Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power in 1985. It assisted the UN in developing the Guide for policy makers on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power. It fostered the translation of the Guide into major world languages including French and Spanish. It continues to lobby governments on the importance of legislative and program reforms to meet those basic principles, particularly through its UN Liaison Committee at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and at quinquennial UN Congresses on crime. It has encouraged the adoption of the UN norm based on the IBCR´s Guidelines on Child Victim and Witnesses. It has advocated project grants for pilot projects to implement the Declaration as provided by the UN Office on Drug and Crime Prevention.

Aims:

• advocate increased funding for research and services for victims to accelerate implementation of the Declaration
• promote a convention on the implementation of the Declaration
• raise political and public awareness of victim issues and rights
• encourage organisations and others committed to reducing the number of victims of all types
• organise events to interest government officials in making greater progress in the implementation of the Declaration
• establish a WSV representative in each country to assist with information on victim issues and rights and advocate for improvements
• foster national societies for victimology to pursue national missions and activities similar to the WSV
• encourage mechanisms to provide an early warning system to prevent abuses of power and protect potential victims from stark misfortunes

5. To provide member opportunities.
The WSV has organized an International Symposium on Victimology every 3 years since 1979 in all major regions of the world (registration for members is reduced). It publishes a quarterly newsletter – The Victimologist – to keep its members up to date on: developments in different countries, workshops and conferences, and opportunities to participate in the WSV committees and activities. It maintains a contact list of members from over 60 countries. It enables individuals and national organizations to be members in an international non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe devoted to victimological issues.

Aims:

• provide members with a certificate of their membership which also identifies the mission of the WSV and its consultative status with the UN and the Council of Europe
• provide a web page with information on WSV, including a members´ only section with list-serv and occasional newsflashes
• develop a house style that integrates the mission, including the logo, shirts and pins
• enrich the privileges in order to attract and retain the membership of the key academics, service providers and policy makers who are currently involved in Victimology
• provide free thematic brochures on victim issues

Administration
WSV is currently organised under an elected Executive Committee with three co-opted members. The EC is supported by 14 standing committees which rely on volunteer and in-kind resources. The committees are designed to organise the main activities of the WSV. These include Membership, Budget, Policy and Program, Public Relations, Publications, Research, Victim Services, Symposium, International Courses, UN Liaison, Strategic Planning, Awards, Regional Development and the International Advisory Board. Its expenditures are limited to publication of brochures, office support, publications and so on. The organisation is currently registered as a not for profit entity in Monchengladbach, Germany. The current President is located in USA. The Secretary General is in Canada. Other officers and executive board members are located in eight other countries.

Aims:

• engage more of its active members in committee work
• hire professional staff to support the implementation of the priorities from the strategic plan approved by the EC and coordinate day to day operations
• establish a permanent operating base to provide offices for these staff and administrative functions
• establish a technological system to support the WSV
• develop resources to achieve these objectives

(adopted by the EC June 2006 Orlando Meetng)