Services for victims of crime complaints
The Charter of Victims Rights
In 2020, the ACT Legislative Assembly passed a new law which establishes a Charter of Victims’ Rights. This Charter commenced on 1 January 2021 and can be found in the Victims of Crime Act 1994 (ACT). The Charter of Victims’ Rights contains a list of specific rights for victims of crime in the ACT that justice agencies must uphold, in addition to their human rights.
There are five categories of rights in the Charter of Victims’ Rights:
- Respect, privacy and safety
- Access to support, services, legal and financial assistance
- Information about administration and justice processes
- Information about investigations, proceedings and decisions
- Participation in proceedings
The Charter also gives the ACT Human Rights Commission the power to hear complaints about victims’ rights. If you are a victim of a crime in the ACT and feel that a justice agency has not respected your rights, you can:
- Make an internal complaint to the justice agency and see if it can be resolved
- Raise a concern with the Victims of Crime Commissioner through Victims Support ACT
- Make a victims’ rights complaint to the ACT Human Rights Commission
You do not need to make an internal complaint with the justice agency before making a complaint to the ACT Human Rights Commission.
Victims’ rights in the ACT
You are a victim of crime if you suffer harm through experiencing or witnessing a crime. If you are a victim of crime in the ACT, you have protected rights under the Charter of Victims’ Rights.
After a crime occurs, many justice agencies are involved. For example, the Police, the Courts and the DPP. These justice agencies must respect your rights as a victim of crime. For example, they must all treat you respectfully, maintain your privacy, and provide you with accessibility assistance.
You can make a complaint to the ACT Human Rights Commission if you believe that your victims’ rights may not have been respected by a justice agency.