GET UP, STAND UP, STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS 

Crime victims, in the Caribbean region and other developing nations, stand up for your rights and demand change in every jurisdication of the law as it relates to childhood sexual abuse and incest.

Use this as a blueprint and build your own victim rights movement. Demand respect and persuade your government to do the right thing. The following were recommendations used, in 1999, to ammend the U.S. constitution to protect the rights of victims: 

RESPECT VICTIMS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS

• provide for hearing and considerating the victims’ perspective at sentencing and at any release proceedings
• provide victim-witness coordinators
• provide for victim restitution and for adequate compensation and assistance for victims and witnesses
• adopt evidentiary rules to protect victim-witnesses from courtroom intimidation and harrassment
• permit victims to require HIV testing before trial of persons charged with sex offenses
• notify the victim of the status of criminal justice proceedings and of the release status of the offender

(The 1992 U.S. Attorney General’s Report on Violent Crime. U.S. Department of Justice, Combating Violent Crime, Washington, D.C: Goverment Printing Office, 1992)

DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT 

Where ever there has been change there has been a victimized and oppressed group turning its outrage into action. Feminists demanded an end with the patriarchic and stereotypic  laws of old and demanded new laws and policies to protect victims of domestic violence and rape. Persons with disabilities put pressure on the U.S. government and the American Disabilities Act was born.

CARIBBEAN CSA VICTIMS UNITE

Caribbean victims of childhood sexual abuse must strive for a united front and a unified voice for radical reform of the criminal justice system and its approach to sexualt assault, sexual abuse, molestation and incest.  

A COMPARATIVE LOOK

Since 1999, the U.S Senate passed an ammendment to the U.S. Constitution to protect the rights of crime victims. The victims’ rights ammendment guarantees a victim:

• the right to court-ordered financial restitution for adequate compensation from offenders
• the right to be notified of and not be excluded from any court proceedings related to his or her crime
• the right to submit a statement related to any pending bail release, plea bargain, or sentence involving the offender; and other rights

VICTIMS’ RIGHTS MOVEMENT 

The U.S. victims’ rights movement has had resounding success in achieving forward-thinking legislative goals. Every state, in the U.S., has victim rights and victim restitution laws. It is time for victims in the Caribbean and other developing countries to call for radical constiutional change and demand:

• laws that help them deal with the trauma of victimization and return to a life as near normal as possible
• laws that create victim-witness assistance programs
• laws that improve the criminal justice system

VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

In the U.S., by the late 1980s an estimated 4,000 victim assistance programs were already in operation. That was nearly 30 years ago. The 1984 Victims of Crime Act provided about $50 million a year to local programs. By 1997, one-third of all city police departments and sheriffs’ departments had a special victims unit. A good place for the victims’ rights movement to start would be counseling assistance:

• referral sevices
• personal advocacy
• therapeutic services
• crisis intervention

DID YOU KNOW? 

Since 2001, the U.S. law extended the period for incest claims. The time has been lengthened to 10 years from 3 years which offers a seven year extention of the statute of limitations for filing an incest charge.

TAKE ACTION

In 1985, The United Nations adopted a Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power and today many nations of the world are still no where when it comes to victims’ rights.