Victim-centred prosecutions: lessons for South Africa

Global good practice should inform and strengthen the National Prosecuting Authority’s approach to victims.

The Service Charter for Victims of Crime in South Africa and the Victim Support Services Bill outline the rights of victims. When it comes to prosecutions, global good practice should inform and strengthen the National Prosecuting Authority’s approach to victims. This policy brief suggests how victim-centred prosecutions in South Africa could be strengthened by using the precedent set by the UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power and methods used in other countries. 

About the author

Miché Roberts is a Research Officer in the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies. She focuses on prosecutorial reform in South Africa and has also researched youth and electoral participation, corruption and governance in South Africa and police accountability.

Cover image: Amelia Broodryk/ISS