January 18, 2022
Reaction Paper on the
1985 UN Declaration on the Rights of Victims
Presented by Mr. Si Claudel Cainoy on January 16, 2022
Submitted by: MR. IAN N DATILES
MS-CRIM
Submitted to:
PROFESSOR PLTCOL LEMUEL GONDA
The "Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of
Power,” constitutes the basis of international standards concerning the treatment of
victims. It is "designed to assist governments and the international community in their
efforts to secure justice and assistance for victims of crime and victims of abuse of power"
(UN)
This is the effort by the international community to protect victims of any and all
forms of criminality that involve terrorism, crimes committed by the state to their own
people and cross border crimes such as human trafficking. The International arena
recognizes the fact that crimes committed in such a way is literally and figuratively beyond
the control of the victims and in some cases the local authorities.
With the help of the International Community such as the United Nations
Assembly, member states are required to enact laws and policies concerning different
issues, otherwise sanctions might be imposed against the member states.
With the standard laid down and set for
member state to adapt in face value or
revised in conjunction with the local laws, the
rights and safety of the victims are ensured.
And with it, the power of the state and its
authorities are shackled into what is right and just, never to persecute its citizen and never
to neglect victims of crimes. Judicial systems are ensured of its autonomy, and power are
given to the people and not the government.
The question now lies with the government and its people. Now that the standards
have been set by the UN, and with laws and policies adapting the UN standard in victim
protection and crime prevention crafted and given to the people to uphold, what is next?
Can the world stop crime? Can the
authorities stop crime? Or do we need a
better understanding and mind set that
crimes are done because most of the
people does not care because it is not
them but someone else’s?
Preventing crimes have also its standard. It may be generic, but it is a good start.
Even the police have it standard, they even have the police operational procedure,
basically it is the blue book or the bible of every policeman in the Philippines. A step-bystep procedure on how to handle possible scenarios from hostage taking to weapons of
mass destruction.
One thing is also certain, we value life, and we value the victims.