Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice

Publisher:: Sage Publications, Inc.
Publication date:: 2021-09-06

ISBN:: 2516-6069

Issue Number

No. 7-2, October 2024

Latest documents

Leveraging Victim Voices: Unveiling True Needs Through Natural Language Processing in Trauma Narratives
This article explores the intersection of technology, particularly artificial intelligence and anti-human trafficking and child sexual exploitation (CSE) initiatives. Despite the promises of technology, the overall effectiveness in addressing these crimes is limited. The authors argue that a key factor contributing to this limitation is the insufficient understanding of the crimes, rooted in the absence of meaningful engagement with victims. To address these challenges, the authors propose two strategies. First, they advocate for data-sharing partnerships to access extensive textual data held by organizations. Second, they highlight the use of natural language processing (NLP) to systematically analyse victim narratives without causing further interview fatigue. Embracing NLP is seen as a way to expedite research, enhance scalability and provide a fresh perspective on combating human trafficking and CSE. The article is structured to define key terminology, make a case for a victim-led response, demonstrate the application of NLP and conclude with insights from in-house research. The authors urge stakeholders to consider this new approach in their efforts to combat human trafficking and CSE.
Elderly Victimization in the Context of Witchcraft Accusations and Persons Accused of Witchcraft Practices Living Within the Gambaga Witches’ Camp: Understanding of Human Rights
The practice of sociocultural belief systems in Ghana such as witchcraft accusations leads to situations where some elderly people in the northern part of Ghana are likely to be victimized based on sociocultural belief systems. Persons accused of witchcraft practices can be denied some of their basic fundamental human rights. The lack of a clear understanding of human rights standards among many rural folks, especially in a rural part of Northern Ghana, makes many people consider accusations of persons suspected of witchcraft practices as a non-abuse of victims’ human rights when persons accused of witchcraft are encamped in witches’ camps. Hence, this study sought to explore the accused persons of witchcraft practice’s understanding of human rights and how their conceptualization of human rights has led to elderly victimization based on sociocultural practices regarding witchcraft accusations. The study employed a qualitative method where 37 participants were selected consisting of persons accused of witchcraft practices living within the Gambaga witches’ camp. A thematic approach was used in the data analysis. The study found that accused persons of witchcraft practices have a distinctive understanding of human rights, which they conceptualized to include social and cultural rights, economic rights, civil and political rights and legal rights and missed out on the civil and political aspects of human rights. The study found that the accused persons’ lack of understanding of the civil rights concept of human rights made most of the persons living within the Gambaga witches’ camp to be victims of torture, undergo forced labour, lack their right to protection, gender discrimination and slavery within the camp. The study recommended that traditional leaders should engage in community dialogues that facilitate open and inclusive community dialogues to discuss the negative impact of witchcraft accusations on individuals and the community as a whole.
Unravelling the Factors of Acceptance of Violence in Marriage by Women: Insights on Deficit of Reporting Cases of Domestic Violence in Empowered Action Group (EAG) and States of South India
Globally, 30% women, in a relationship, have been experiencing both physical and sexual violence by their intimate partners, particularly in the South-East Asian region. The grave reality of violence in marriage is the acceptance and justification of wife beating by women themselves. Recent cross-sectional studies have pointed out that a woman’s acceptance of wife abuse is related to her actual experience of being a victim, such that the victims of violence are perhaps more likely to justify the behaviour. This study analyses the role, if any, played by measures of women’s autonomy, access and freedom in impacting the acceptance of wife beating in marriage by women. This is undertaken in the background of different levels of human development attained in different groups of states in India. Two groups of states are identified: (a) one group of states represented by states of South India—scoring above national average figures in all parameters of human development including measures of gender empowerment. (b) Second group of states represented by the Empowered Action Group states—scoring lower than national average figures in all parameters of human development, including measures of gender empowerment. Indicators selected related to women’s access to microcredit, freedom of movement, ownership of assets, employment status and literacy levels. In addition, the proportion of households in a state in the lowest quintile also was selected as a factor of wealth. This study further analyses the role that acceptance of violence in marriage by women plays in explaining the deficit in reporting cases of domestic violence in the selected group of states.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012: The Precincts of the Law and Judicial Expositions
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, is aimed to safeguard minor(s), who is less than 18 years old, from crimes involving sexual assault, harassment, pornographic and to offer a minor, a congenial legal system for cases involving such wrongdoings. The ‘best interest of the child’ premise is given first priority, and it also aims to protect minors throughout the entire court procedure. This 2012 Act is a law that does not differentiate between genders. It safeguards all minors from sexual abuse. This research article is an attempt to analyse critically the findings and suitability of the POCSO Act and extract the limitations and suggestions to overcome such limitations for the protection and betterment of the minor.
Gender, Age and Victimization Risk Among Missing Persons
The purpose of this study was to examine the risk of victimization among missing persons and the ways in which gender and age shape this relationship. From a sample of 1,847 missing persons reports, multiple logistic regression was used to estimate victimization risk when missing, disaggregated by gender and age group and including vulnerability factors (i.e., the reasons for victimization risk). Results reveal that female missing persons compared to males and children/youths compared to adults had significantly increased odds of victimization risk. Vulnerability factors statistically significantly associated with victimization risk for females compared to males and children/youths compared to adults included transientness, victimization experiences (e.g., domestic violence, human trafficking), going repeatedly missing and mental health concerns. The findings suggest that victimization risk for missing persons varies along gender and age lines. This study contributes to the literature addressing the paucity of studies that apply exposure and opportunity theories to understand victimization risk when missing split by demographic characteristics. Thus, its novelty lies in advancing the victimology literature to the study of missing persons, and in discovering nuances in the relationship between victimization risk and going missing.
Police, Victim and Co-victim Interaction: Insights from Australia
Interacting with victims and co-victims of crime and other calls for help are a daily routine for police forces, and there have been many attempts to improve this vital function of policing in modern democratic societies. However, some groups in Australia remain unconvinced by police actions when they report incidents and are suspicious of the response they receive. This article provides insights concerning the way in which the police deal with victims and co-victims in Australia, utilizing a particular focus on high-profile sections of the community. These examples highlight some of the issues; the article concludes by suggesting that policing in Australia needs to be refocused to ensure officers understand the important role victims and co-victims play in reducing and detecting criminality, whilst also supporting the legitimization of the police role.
Criminal Justice Responses to Sex Trafficking in West Bengal, India: A Representative Study from Victims’ Lenses
Known to be the oldest crime on earth, human trafficking has existed as an illegal industry from time immemorial. Statistics reveal that every year, 1–2 million men, women and children are trafficked worldwide, and about 0.22 million (225,000) are from South Asia. Amongst the South-Asian countries, India faces a high-ceilinged rate of sex trafficking and although it made its anti-trafficking interventions quite early, with the inclusion of anti-trafficking provisions in its domestic legislation and signed the United Nations Protocol, yet, the problem persisted and assumed alarming proportions. The principal argument that has been offered for the inept human trafficking responses in India is that the different facets of prevention, protection and prosecution centred on the human rights priorities of the victims are not adequately met. The present article is based on an empirical study conducted by the authors to understand the underpinnings of the working of the Indian criminal justice system (CJS) from the lens of victim’s experiences in West Bengal, India. West Bengal is one of the states located in the eastern part of the country, which shares its borders with Bangladesh and Nepal, and acts as an epicentre of sex trafficking in India. To determine whether the anti-trafficking interventions in India, which are largely based on the rhetoric of raid-to-rescue, are attuned to the specific needs of the sex trafficked survivors; the authors attempted to assess their encounters with and confidence in the CJS. They used cross-sectional surveys to collect qualitative data from 40 victims (n = 40) across three after-care facilities in West Bengal, namely, Sanlaap, International Justice Mission and Mahima. The purpose of using this phenomenological study was to describe the phenomenon as participant-respondents experience them. In conclusion, the authors pinpointed the necessary interventions required at the legal and procedural levels to make the ICJS more responsive towards the needs of the sex-trafficked victims.
Impact of Multiple Minority Statuses: An Examination of Violent Victimization, Police Reporting and Perception of Police Bias
Individuals who identify as belonging to multiple marginalized groups experience disproportionate violent victimization yet are reluctant to inform the police following an incident. Perceptions of the police as biased may influence whether victims report. This study examines low socio-economic and sexual orientation/gender-identity (SOGI) minority statuses on experiencing violent victimization, reporting to the police and perceived police bias as a reason for not reporting. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to National Crime Victimization Survey data. Low-income, SOGI respondents reported greater odds of experiencing violent victimization but lower odds of reporting to the police. An increase in the odds of perceiving the police as biased was found among victims who did not report. Results suggest greater work to improve the strained relationships between the police and minority communities.
Making a Case for Incorporating Victim–Offender Mediation into the Criminal Justice System of Trinidad and Tobago
The Criminal Procedure Rules were implemented in 2016 by virtue of Legal Notice No. 55/2016 with an emphasis on the disposition of and dealing with matters ‘justly’. This ambitious objective cannot be accomplished by solely adhering to the legal framework that currently governs the criminal justice system. Restorative justice has been seen as an opportunity and an approach for victims and other stakeholders of crime to deal with the same. At the forefront of such approaches is victim–offender mediation, which can be utilized for both juvenile and adult offenders. Inclusion of such a process as part of the criminal justice system of Trinidad and Tobago would assist in realizing the objectives envisioned by the Criminal Procedure Rules.
An Analysis of True Crime’s Treatment of Murder Victims
True crime is a non-fiction genre that focuses on real crimes and those who were involved. As one may expect, this brings attention to victims of violent crimes. With such a delicate topic, true crime needs to maintain ethical practices. Many have speculated that victims are disrespected in these retellings, but in pre-existing research, no one has measured the extent of this disrespect. As such, the following question presented itself: What is the extent of murder victim maltreatment by true crime media present on Hulu as of 2022? To answer this question, a quantitative, exploratory media analysis was completed through the use of a codebook, which assigns point values that can be combined into an overall maltreatment score. The main focus of this codebook was the narrative and imagery shown throughout an episode. Starting with all true crime series, the sample size was narrowed down to five series. These five series were coded and received an overall maltreatment score. It was found that on average, these five series displayed a substantial amount of maltreatment towards murder victims. Additionally, further analysis showed that the treatment of victims was somewhat dependent on the killers. Not only does this demonstrate an injustice to the victims themselves, but also to those that knew them.