KOK News

In the context of the project Justice at Last, wherein the KOK participates, a Policy Paper has been published recently. Therein, the project presents its examinations regarding the compensations of persons affected by trafficking in human beings. According to the paper, only two out of three affected persons that claimed compensation were awarded with compensation. Only a quarter of these actually received this compensation. One reason is that the perpetrators withdraw themselves from actually paying the amount. Justice at Last criticizes that affected persons sometimes do not have the access to safe reporting and adequate information about their rights. In addition, there is a lack of sufficient sensitization of the police and legal authorities as well as adequate legal aid. Further obstacles can be found in the mistrust of affected persons in the rule of law or the risk of arrest and/or deportation for those with an illegal status. Hence, the report presents a list of recommendations. For instance, the project demands an intensified cross-border cooperation.

Apart from that, Justice at Last has published a Working Paper about “Victim’s Needs Assessment” which represents the third part of the three-piece study about compensation of victims carried out by the project. You can find the reference to the other two Working Papers here.

The Justice at Last project - European Action for Compensation of Victims of Crime - has been launched by La Strada International, together with the KOK and other partner organizations. The aim of the project is to identify and analyze both the existing obstacles to the enforcement of compensation claims, as well as needs and best practices for overcoming these obstacles. Professionals should be provided with the knowledge and skills to help those affected enforcing their rights to compensation. In addition, awareness of professionals, policy-makers, counselors and victims of crime in Europe, for the most effective mechanisms for victim protection, as well as access to compensation should be increased.