In 2015, the NI government passed a law which outlines how victims of crime should be treated. This is called the Victim Charter and the document talks about your rights if a crime happens to you. The Commissioner Designate aims to monitor compliance with this Charter through surveys, victims’ complaints and victim feedback. There are more than 22 entitlement which are outlined in detail in the Victim Charter.
Generally you are entitled to:
- be treated fairly, professionally, and with dignity and respect;
- be understood and to understand - in your first language if necessary;
- be updated at key stages and given relevant information;
- have your needs considered by service providers;
- be told about available support and bring someone with you to give support;
- apply for compensation (within two years of the incident causing the injury), if you were a victim of a violent crime;
- ask for a court familiarisation visit and be kept separate from the accused as much as possible at court;
- have the opportunity to tell the court how the crime has harmed you;
- ask to be told how the offender’s sentence is managed; and
- let service providers know if you are unhappy with their service.
Full copies of the Victim Charter can be found below:
- Victim Charter (PDF 798 KB)
- Victim Charter Summary (Oct 2015) (PDF 1.5 MB)
- Victim Charter (Easy read version) (PDF 94 KB)
- Victim Charter (Young person version) (PDF 929 KB)
The Charter is available in other languages on the Department of Justice website.