Problems of Implementing Standards for the Prevention of Secondary Victimization of Crime Victims in Ukrainian Criminal Procedure Legislation

Abstract

Criminal procedure standards of preventing secondary victimization are examined through the prism of European documents of advisory nature that contain a number of regulations that establish minimum standards of the rights of victims and the duties of the state to protect them. The authors prove a vital role that criminal procedure legislation plays in the general mechanism of preventing such a negative phenomenon as secondary victimization of a crime victim. Taking into consideration the etymological characteristics of the concept of «standard», the authors formulate a definition of standards for preventing secondary victimization of crime victims and determine their system. It consists of an aggregate of interconnected elements: the state’s compensation to a victim for damage caused by the crime; provision of access to justice for victims and the use of criminal proceedings that are unburdensome for the victims; provision of an opportunity for the victim to actively participate in criminal proceedings; provision of legal, psychological, medical and social help to the victim; guarantee of a right to safety for the victim and their family members; a system of extra guarantees of the rights and interests of vulnerable victims. The article also highlights key discrepancies between Ukrainian legislation and some of the above-mentioned standards and presents ideas on eliminating them. Specifically, the authors pay attention to the necessity of creating a Foundation for the protection of the rights of crime victims, whose main purpose would be the compensation of damages to the victims. As for the use of unburdensome criminal procedures, it is suggested that the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine should include a norm that states that the involvement of a victim in investigation activities that infringe on their rights and lawful interests should be kept to a minimum and should only be carried out when it is necessary for criminal proceedings. It is noted that normative regulation of the time frame for criminal proceedings at their specific stages should be regulated. Besides, there is a necessity for statutory determination of a general prohibition to disclose information on victims of certain types of crimes that would make it possible to identify the victim, etc.