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OSCE publishes "Victim Advocacy Manual" in Kosovo
PRISTINA 21 February 2002
PRISTINA, 21 February 2002 - The OSCE Mission in Kosovo took another significant step in the development of a comprehensive and integrated system of response to the victims of crime in Kosovo. "The Victim Advocacy Introductory Manual", released in Pristina today, intends to be a practical tool for all sectors dealing with victims and working in this direction.
"Victim advocacy is the provision of access to justice and fair treatment of victims of crime", said Ambassador Pascal Fieschi, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, during a ceremony to launch the manual.
"This manual will serve as a starting point to address the specific needs of crime victims. It presents a variety of mechanisms, models and skills involved in crime-victim response, including victim based legislation and regulations, governmental policies, compensation, funding and development of victim services, the impact of victimization and special consideration for assisting different types of victims", he said.
The 37-page booklet is one of the first practical outcomes of the Victim Advocacy Conference organized by the OSCE in December 2001. The event gathered more than 300 participants, including judges, prosecutors, police, women's legal aid and non-governmental organizations, and social workers. It marked an initial step in the development of an integrated system of victim advocacy.
The concept of victim advocacy, or victim assistance, is based on providing access to justice and fair treatment to victims of crime. Only recently has general awareness been raised about the need for increase focus on the victim of crime, as part of the overall system of justice. The aim is to empower victims to take back a sense of control of their lives after a crime and provide opportunities for legitimate participation in the criminal justice process, ensuring that they do not become re-traumatized.
The OSCE has the mandate to promote the development of institutions that ensure that human rights and rule of law are respected, and that persons suffering from violation of human rights have an effective remedy, in particular through the development of an independent legal system. In this regard, the OSCE has worked to ensure legal protection for victims and an institutionalized role for victim advocacy by co-ordinating input to the draft Criminal Procedure Code to provide a legal basis for a victim advocacy system.
The booklet is published in English, Albanian, and Serbian, with financial support from the United States and United Kingdom Liaison Offices in Pristina.
"Victim advocacy is the provision of access to justice and fair treatment of victims of crime", said Ambassador Pascal Fieschi, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, during a ceremony to launch the manual.
"This manual will serve as a starting point to address the specific needs of crime victims. It presents a variety of mechanisms, models and skills involved in crime-victim response, including victim based legislation and regulations, governmental policies, compensation, funding and development of victim services, the impact of victimization and special consideration for assisting different types of victims", he said.
The 37-page booklet is one of the first practical outcomes of the Victim Advocacy Conference organized by the OSCE in December 2001. The event gathered more than 300 participants, including judges, prosecutors, police, women's legal aid and non-governmental organizations, and social workers. It marked an initial step in the development of an integrated system of victim advocacy.
The concept of victim advocacy, or victim assistance, is based on providing access to justice and fair treatment to victims of crime. Only recently has general awareness been raised about the need for increase focus on the victim of crime, as part of the overall system of justice. The aim is to empower victims to take back a sense of control of their lives after a crime and provide opportunities for legitimate participation in the criminal justice process, ensuring that they do not become re-traumatized.
The OSCE has the mandate to promote the development of institutions that ensure that human rights and rule of law are respected, and that persons suffering from violation of human rights have an effective remedy, in particular through the development of an independent legal system. In this regard, the OSCE has worked to ensure legal protection for victims and an institutionalized role for victim advocacy by co-ordinating input to the draft Criminal Procedure Code to provide a legal basis for a victim advocacy system.
The booklet is published in English, Albanian, and Serbian, with financial support from the United States and United Kingdom Liaison Offices in Pristina.