# summary

- Link: https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/victim-support/summary/
- Published: 2020-08-06T06:44:53+02:00
- Author: dearSA

[ View the Victim Support Services Bill campaign](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/victim-support/)

The object of the Bill is to provide a framework within which victim support services
may be provided to victims of violent crime. It seeks to protect the rights of victims
and direct that all service providers dealing with a victim treat such victim with
dignity and respect regardless of their citizenship, race, gender, culture, religious
and personal circumstances.

The Bill further seeks to ensure that a victim is assisted to access victim support
service programmes and services from the Department and relevant service providers.
It clarifies the roles and responsibilities of different service providers in the
provision of victim empowerment services; mitigate secondary victimisation; make
provisions for the relevant institutional arrangements.

It also provides for intersectoral programmes or support services that seeks to 
promote integrated service delivery for victim empowerment programme; for the registration
of a facility; for accreditation of any programmes; for vetting of staff members;
and minimum standards for the strengthening of security at service providers’ premises.
It provides for the procedure for the registration, the period of validity of such
registration and the renewal thereof. It also caters for suspension of registration
and voluntary deregistration.

### DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS

 * [Victim Support Services Bill](https://static.pmg.org.za/Victim_Support_Services_Bill.pdf)
 * [Memorandum of Objects of the Bill](https://www.dsd.gov.za/index.php/documents/send/13-bills/164-memorandum-on-the-objects-of-the-bill-26-june-2020-vep)

### IN THE MEDIA

 * [Minister’s statement](https://www.dsd.gov.za/index.php/latest-news/21-latest-news/270-minister-of-social-development-reminds-south-africans-to-submit-comments-on-the-victim-support-services-bill)

The VSS Bill is part of a critical legislative framework by Government in its endeavour
to combat the scourge of crime, in particular gender-based and violent crimes. It,
therefore, seeks to put the victim at the centre of the criminal justice system 
in order to ensure that the **rights** applicable to the perpetrator are also the
rights entitled to the victim.

Currently the criminal justice system focuses more on the rights of an arrested 
person or accused person in line with section 35 of the Constitution of the Republic
of South Africa, whilst limited emphasis is placed on the rights of the victims.
It also seeks to begin to bring to the attention of the courts the meaning of section
9 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 which provides that “
everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit
of the law.” Victims of gender-based violence, therefore, require this protection
and benefit of the law in the same manner it is extended to the perpetrators.

The Bill begins to recognise that victims experience **secondary victimisation **
and therefore creates a prohibition against such. It provides that secondary victimisation
is illegal and needs to be prevented at all times through our service provision.

The VSS Bill stipulates the various services to be provided to the victims _vis-
à-vis_ services channelled towards the accused. It delineates the services of various
stakeholders according to their mandate and expertise. This includes the DSD psychosocial
support services which are linked to the provision of sheltering services.

The VSS Bill advocates specifically for **the** **legal representation** of a victim.
It calls for the State to endure the legal costs for the victim in cases whereby
victims wish to sue the accused for damages. It also encourages providers of services
to victims to be **accredited** to ensure that their services comply with the norms
and standards as set by the Department of Social Development for all facilities.
This will include ensuring that employees of facilities are vetted against existing
registers for example the Child Protection Register (CPR) and the National Sexual
Offences Register (NRSO) to protect victims.