VICTIM Support Scotland (VSS) is calling on the Dumfries and Galloway community to listen and take part in this Victims’ Awareness Week.
The theme for this year is ‘Listen. Act. Hope’ and VSS is using this week to further its mission of supporting victims and mental health.
In a 2023 study published by the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, ten per cent of the adult population fell victim to a crime. The VSS has helped those with a wide range of experiences from murder to anti-social behaviour.
“Scotland as a nation has a track record of listening to its people, and that is exactly what we are calling for this Victims’ Awareness Week. Listening to victims of crime is the only way we can enact meaningful change in the criminal justice system, paving the way for more positive experiences in the future,” said Kate Wallace, chief executive.
VSS hopes to continue its work, after hosting 42,533 support sessions while supporting 18,301 individuals in 2023/24.
“From my experience of representing victims’ views, what I hear time and time again is that it is so important to be listened to. When you are faced with being a victim of crime, you have no idea what lies ahead. Everyone experiences crime differently, but so many people tell me about the grief, anger, fear, and how being heard and being listened to can make such a difference,” said Lynn Burns, the victims’ expert member of the Scottish Sentencing Council.
Victims’ Awareness Week arrives at a crucial time as Scotland releases hundreds of inmates under the Early Prisoner Release (Scotland) Act.
At the same time, Stage 2 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill advances through Parliament, with Victim Support Scotland championing proposals for a Victims and Witnesses Commissioner, a specialist Sexual Offences Court, and the abolition of the Not Proven verdict. VSS has also led the ‘Victim-Centred Approach to Justice in Scotland’ project, involving over 140 participants, to map out key steps for a more victim-focused justice system.
