DA Victims of Crime

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Private Member's Bill to establish fund for victims of crime

The Democratic Alliance submitted a Private Member's Bill to the Speaker of Parliament on 20 July 2006, which seeks to establish a state fund to compensate victims of violent crime.

There are three parts to any comprehensive strategy to tackle crime:

The DA has produced a great many proposals to help prevent crime and bring criminals to book, some of which - such as our campaign to place 150 000 cops on the street - have been adopted by government. We will continue to produce these policies.

This bill addresses the third element of the fight against crime - how to support those people who have suffered because of crime.

The Bill seeks to establish a state fund to which victims of violent crime may apply for compensation. The key elements of the Bill are:

The fund would be managed by a group of trustees, appointed by the Minister of Safety and Security.
The Fund would be financed by fines imposed as sentences by the court; bail money forfeited to the state; money appropriated by parliament and private donations.
In order to qualify for compensation, a victim's perpetrator would have to have been found guilty in a court of law. This would serve both to limit fraudulent applications and to place greater pressure on the state to catch and convict perpetrators.
A person may not seek compensation if they have already been awarded damages or compensation by a court or are busy pursuing damages in a court.

It is our sincere hope that the ANC government will give its backing to this piece of legislation and, with it, hope to those people who have suffered most because of crime.