The Labour UK Government has announced plans for a new Victims’ Code which will provide better support to child victims in Llanelli to understand their rights as victims of crime and, more crucially, how to get the help they need to recover.
Many children and young people don’t know where to turn following crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual violence – lost in the complexities of the criminal justice system. As well as strengthening the Victims’ Code, the Government will work with young people and experts to develop the first ever child-friendly version of the code, setting out in age-appropriate language a child’s rights as a victim of crime – including the right to be referred or self-refer to support services.
The Government is seeking to restore victims’ trust in the Criminal Justice System and this move is a material guarantee of their rights.
Proposals in the new Victims’ Code include more direct contact with police and probation officers alongside parents for those aged 12 and up, granting them the dignity and autonomy they deserve as survivors of crime.
From reporting all the way through to trial and beyond, a better Victims’ Code will encourage all victims to see their cases through, knowing that the Government stands firmly on their side.
This represents a Labour manifesto pledge delivered and introduces invaluable support to victims in their time of greatest need.
Dame Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli, said:
“I know many people, and especially young people, across Llanelli have encountered difficulties in reporting crimes, seeking justice and in obtaining the appropriate support to take their cases through to the rightful conclusion.
These are issues I have raised in the House of Commons and beyond, and I am so glad that the Government has now presented this new Victims’ Code which will help children and young people in doing that.
“This will support all young victims of crime in Llanelli to have fuller confidence in our Criminal Justice System and support them in claiming the rights they are due.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, David Lammy, said:
“Navigating the justice system can be a challenge for many, but for children – a matrix! I’m incredibly proud of the changes to the Victims’ Code we’re exploring hand-in-hand with the people who will need it most.
“It’s unthinkable that an innocent and vulnerable child would ever need the criminal justice system, but it’s a reality we can’t ignore. Through the revisions we’re proposing, children will be the drivers on their journey to justice.”
Proposed improvements to the Victims’ Code for all victims include new fundamental principles and training for agencies across the justice system to deliver a higher standard of communication with victims.
Compliance with the Victims’ Code is enshrined in law. When commenced, the strengthened powers of the Victims’ Commissioner will hold agencies to account should they fall short of the Code’s standards without good reason.
This news follows a series of key interventions designed to protect women and children from violence and abuse.
These include the launch of the UK Government’s landmark VAWG Strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, and the decision to repeal the presumption of parental involvement to focus family court proceedings squarely on children’s safety.
Ministers have also committed to review the ‘National Protocol’ guidelines to stop the criminalisation of children in care and remove parental responsibility from people who have been convicted of a serious sexual offence against any child, and where a child is born of rape.