ABSTRACT
The past few decades have witnessed a considerable spread in the support of crime victims worldwide. The primary reason behind this spread is definitely due to a reaction to the lack of attention and assistance accorded to victims of crime, legal or otherwise, while defendants and the accused receive more than ample attention, as provided for in the laws of criminal procedure all over the world. Victims’ sufferings have also been recognized internationally in the United Nations’ Declaration on Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power in 1985. Of course, this human rights instrument was produced after a lengthy struggle for access to justice for crime victims, by civil society movements all over the world. The Declaration does not merely address crime victims, but also victims of abuse of power who are victimized by the State and/or its officials.
