Three-day seminar on victim empowerment gets underway at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala

Patiala, April 4

The Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice and Victimology at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) started its first international victimology colloquium on victim empowerment through legal and social initiatives today. Justice (retired) Gita Mittal, Prof K Chockalingam and Prof Robert Peacock, president, World Society of Victimology, deliberated on various facets of victim empowerment on the first day of the three-day programme.

Gita Mittal highlighted the obsession of the criminal justice system with the rights of accused and the little regard for the rights of victims. She compared the conditions of victims to “conflicts of property stolen from the rightful owner” and emphasised on the need for more inclusion, pro-activeness and a victim-centric approach in the judicial system. She said, “Justice is not absolute. Justice for one party is grave injustice for the other.” Prof Chockalingam elaborated on the emerging trends in victimology. Experts highlighted the need for comprehensive policy guidelines for victim justice.

University Vice-Chancellor Prof Bajpai said, “For long, victims of crime are forgotten persons of the criminal justice system” and added, “Victim empowerment is no longer a charity as it is about asserting status and rights. There is a need to rephrase the language of criminal law. The advent of victimology replaces the terms like incarceration, retribution and death penalty with words like reparation, restitution, forgiveness and healing.” He further added that the rights of victims should be balanced.