When victims suffer a second time
- victimepasseule
- Jun 13, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 22, 2024
An inadequate response from police, judicial, social, and medical institutions, as well as from close contacts, can lead victims of violence to suffer a “second victimisation” (or “secondary victimisation”), with devastating effects. Muriel Golay, director of the LAVI Centre Geneva, and her colleague Céline Vock, psychologist and LAVI counsellor, explain.
Indirectly resulting from the violence endured, secondary victimisation is a phenomenon that affects a significant number of victims. What does it involve exactly?
The term “secondary victimisation” refers to the experience of victims who face responses they perceive as inadequate or insufficient from those (professionals or family/friends) to whom they turn or who they deal with in the course of seeking help for the trauma they’ve suffered. This often includes a perceived lack of listening and support, not being believed and/or being judged negatively, not being taken seriously (trivialisation), or not being informed (about psychological impact, legal procedures, coverage of medical or other costs, etc.).
It can involve inappropriate behaviours by close contacts or professionals, but also reception conditions or procedures that harm the victim’s dignity by failing to consider their vulnerability and needs, especially for protection. This might involve, for instance, being forced to repeatedly recount the events, facing very intrusive questions about their personal life, or being unnecessarily or prematurely confronted with the perpetrator.
It can involve inappropriate behaviours by close contacts or professionals, but also reception conditions or procedures that harm the victim’s dignity by failing to consider their vulnerability and needs, especially for protection.
How does this secondary victimisation impact victims?
Not feeling adequately treated or supported can lead to different responses depending on the context, individual characteristics, and personal experience of the victim. Secondary victimisation arises when victims are already dealing with significant post-traumatic upheaval affecting all areas of their lives. They are often in shock or “post-shock”, unable to recognise their reactions when they compare themselves to how they were before the trauma and not always understanding their responses. They may also experience strong feelings of helplessness and vulnerability, further heightened by fears around the unknown (their situation’s progression in terms of psychology/medical care, legal matters, social standing, employment, personal life, etc.). The impact of secondary victimisation varies according to these different factors, and below we describe the most frequently reported consequences.
The issues raised most commonly show that the response provided was inadequate in meeting the victim’s basic needs (to be heard, believed, supported, recognised, protected, to access justice, to be compensated) or that the victim was not treated with enough consideration or respect. This can foster or deepen a profound sense of injustice, which is especially painful as victims already have to bear the consequences of the crime committed against them.
This sense of injustice can also be reactivated if the perpetrator does not acknowledge the reported acts, if the legal system fails to meet the victim’s need for redress, or if compensation is denied. It may also involve procedures that “re-traumatise” the victim by not taking sufficient account of their temporary fragility and need for protection (for example, if penal mediation is imposed). The confrontation with the reality of these processes can be extremely distressing, increasing feelings of helplessness and vulnerability for a person already weakened by the trauma. The support, assistance, and information provided can act as a protective factor.
Secondary victimisation can lead to a loss of trust in the supportive role of individuals or institutions involved, as well as to the worsening or triggering of certain trauma symptoms (feelings of guilt, shame, rejection, isolation, etc.), with significant effects on the victim’s health.
This can lead to a loss of trust in the supportive role of individuals or institutions involved, as well as to the worsening or triggering of certain trauma symptoms (feelings of guilt, shame, rejection, isolation, etc.), with significant effects on the victim’s health. This loss of trust can be particularly harmful, especially if it causes victims to refrain from seeking help, whether from a professional or personal network.
How does LAVI support individuals facing this issue?
One of the objectives when implementing the LAVI law was to provide victims with a dedicated role and rights in criminal proceedings, along with the possibility of obtaining compensation if the perpetrator were untraceable or insolvent. The victim is received by a team of psychologists trained in the care and support of victims.
LAVI Centre support is aimed at responding to the initial needs of victims, particularly by offering:
Psychosocial support and assistance (including throughout the various stages of criminal proceedings);
Information (on psychological trauma, criminal procedures, victims’ specific rights – including the possibility of avoiding direct confrontation with the perpetrator – compensation, insurance, etc.);
Urgent financial assistance depending on the circumstances (accommodation, emergency funds, medical expenses, etc.);
Referral to, or activation of, a network of specialised professionals as identified by needs.
It is also essential to explore a victim’s unexpressed expectations and to discuss these with them, as they play a vital role in their recovery process. There may be disappointments ahead for the victim in terms of impact duration (post-traumatic responses or injuries), criminal proceedings, process duration, or sentencing outcomes, for example.
It is essential to explore a victim’s unexpressed expectations and to discuss these with them, as they play a vital role in their recovery process. This approach helps restore a sense of control and adds meaning to their reactions during and after trauma.
This approach helps restore a sense of control and adds meaning to their reactions during and after trauma, to what may be felt now, and to the steps to come. In all cases, listening, supporting, and accompanying the victim takes place in a confidential, non-judgemental environment.
When someone recounts a secondary victimisation experience, we take their story seriously, and depending on the severity of the situation, we discuss it in meetings or report it to our management, which may, for instance, contact the relevant professionals.
In practice, how can various institutions better respect victims’ rights and counter secondary victimisation, which is often unintentional and unconscious?
That’s a broad question, thank you for asking! We don’t really have a magic answer… Note that a colloquium on access to justice will be held in 2023, and this topic will certainly be addressed.
Primarily, it’s a question of increasing the training and awareness of professionals (especially those in the criminal justice chain, but not exclusively) on reception practices, information provision, support, response to needs, and respect for victims’ rights.
