Agencies sought to care for crime victims
Agencies sought to care for crime victims
JAKARTA (JP): Experts and police called in unison on both the
authorities and non-governmental organizations at a seminar
yesterday to set up bodies or foundations to take care of the
fate of crime victims.
The seminar, entitled National Symposium. Protecting Crime
Victims, held at the School of Medicine of the University of
Indonesia, stated it was ironical if the existing laws and the
community fought hard to defend the human rights of crime
suspects, but left crime victims alone to shoulder the painful
consequences of the crime.
"Having protection from disturbers ...is in principle included
in human rights. Crime victims are among the weak groups
(socially, mentally, physically), who often cannot protect and
help themselves," said Arif Gosita, a criminologist from the
University of Indonesia.
The one day seminar, jointly organized by the university's
School of Criminology and the city police, was attended by noted
experts and high-ranking police officers.
"So far, there is not yet fair treatment and service to crime
victims from the suspects' families, community and authorities,"
said Arif.
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Moch. Hindarto expressed similar
ideas in his speech read out by his deputy, Brig. Gen. Ismet
Ibrahim W.
"This was also proven by the fact that the existing criminal
code procedure, which regulates on the whole process of crime
handling, from its investigation to trial, gives small attention
to the rights of crime victims," said Hindarto.
Since the enactment of the law in 1981, he said, police have
become too scrupulous in the treatment of criminals due to the
presence of external control, exercised for example by lawyers.
Hindarto hailed the plentiful human rights content of the code
as "legal development", saying however that the code, due to its
focus on the rights of crime suspects, sets meticulous procedures
which keep law enforcers from quickly "treating" the crime
victims.
"Many cases cannot be solved due to procedural complexity or
because too many rights are granted to the criminals. This proves
painful to the victims, who have toiled and suffered losses from
their deeds," said Hindarto.
Hindarto noted there are many criminals today who are clever
at protecting themselves under the umbrella of human rights and
many lawyers disrupt cases to protect criminals for money.
Three
According to Arif, as far as fair treatment was concerned,
crime victims were entitled to three things. They are restitution
if the perpetrators can afford it; compensations from the
government if the perpetrators cannot do so; and material,
psychological assistance from the public and authorities.
"What happens today is tragic. People wounded by a robber must
pay their own medical treatment. And no party, for example,
officially gives significant support to a widow of little
children when her husband is killed by criminals," said Arif.
Ismet acknowledged that police thus far give no significant
support to crime victims during post-crime period.
"Our focus is how to capture the criminals. We have too
limited resources to also take care of the victim's welfare," he
told The Jakarta Post.
Arif and Hindarto also asked the authorities and the community
to establish the so-called "fire-victims assistant foundations"
to take care of crime victims, whose equivalent, they said, were
available in many foreign countries.
Hindarto also proposed that crime victim insurance be applied,
with the premium to be taken from taxes and under which people
can get compensations for the losses created by criminals. (jsk)