Victim support groups call for victims’ ombudsman

The Victims’ Rights Alliance (VRA) has called on the Government to establish an Ombudsman for Victims of Crime following the signing into law of the Victims of Crime Act 2017.

The alliance of victim support and human rights organisations made the call in a statement welcoming the new Act, which it said could herald change for victims of crime in Ireland.

Maria McDonald BL, advocate and co-ordinator of the VRA, said the Act “offers an opportunity for the rights of victims to be placed at the heart of the Irish criminal justice system - a system which, until recently, has failed to adequately balance the rights of the accused with the rights of the victim”.

She added: “Now, for the first time, victims are defined in legislation and they have a legal right to information, support and protection.”

Ms McDonald added: “We would like to acknowledge the significant amount of work done by key stakeholders on this legislation, including officials in the Department of Justice, Minister for State, David Stanton TD and former Minister for Justice, An Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald TD. However, where victims’ rights are not protected they need access to an effective, clear and quick complaints procedure.

“We call on Government to establish an Ombudsman for Victims of Crime. Only by listening to victims and dealing with their complaints can we rebuild victims’ trust in the Irish criminal justice system. An Ombudsman for Victims of Crime will go a long way to ensuring that the dark days of the O’Higgins Report are at an end.”