Outreach and Kosovo’s Law on Crime Victim Compensation
Over the past few months, I have been engaged in two projects with CLARD. Both projects are oriented around Kosovo’s Law on Crime Victim Compensation.
For the first project, I was tasked with researching the impact of the Law on Crime Victim Compensation since it first began to function in May of 2017. In addition, I was also asked to present ideas for how the law could be improved and better implemented to achieve its goals throughout Kosovo. These goals include helping victims recover financially, offering a route of escape from a cycle of victimization, and discouraging the acts of criminal organizations.
The Law on Crime Victim Compensation grants a right to financial compensation for victims of certain violent crimes, so long as specific conditions are met. Unfortunately, there are presently many roadblocks to receiving compensation. The largest roadblock that victims face is a general lack of knowledge of the program’s existence. This is due to insufficient informational outreach on the topic. While Article 28 of the Law on Crime Victim Compensation obliges institutions that may be in contact with victims to inform them about the program, many have not done so, and many judges continue implement the Law haphazardly, while others do not do so at all.
In response to this lack of information available to victims, my next project was to design an easily distributable pamphlet on the Law on Crime Victim Compensation. The pamphlet I created provides basic information on the program and offers a step-by-step guide to victims seeking compensation. CLARD will distribute this information to the public, and I hope that it will encourage crime victims to seek needed recompense.