Victims 'must know their rights'

2008-06-30 14:15

Mafikeng - Crime victims need to know their rights, North West Premier Edna Bomo Molewa said in Mafikeng on Monday.

"Victims of crime in our country are poorly informed about their empowerment," said Molewa at the launch of the provincial implementation plan for a charter of victims' rights.

"Not knowing about your rights is tantamount to not having those rights at all."

She said victims had several rights - including being treated with respect and fairness, having people being sensitive to their dignity and privacy and offering and ensuring they received necessary information.

Victims also had the right to be protected, assisted, compensated and obtain restitution.

Molewa said victims often felt lonely because they believed the criminal justice system cared more for criminals than their victims.

She said the media was somewhat to blame because it "sensationalised prison life as a luxury".

"It often mischievously reports on criminals having access to television sets and other facilities and amenities, thus creating the impression that being a prisoner is fun."

The media needed to be "appraised of the rehabilitative and restorative basis of our management of incarcerated criminals", she said.

Xenophobia victims

Molewa said the objective of the victims' charter was to ensure crime victims like children and rape victims were sheltered from further trauma and not subjected to humiliation through the ill-handling of their cases.

"Victims of xenophobia will be treated as human beings," said Molewa.

She said victims had rights but also responsibilities.

For example victims needed to provided police with information.

"The intention is for victims to play as proactive a role as possible in dealing with injustices perpetrated against them."

- SAPA