U.S. Promotes Greater Care for Victims of Crimes

Bogotá D.C., April 29, 2010

In order to better analyze options in assisting victims of crimes in Colombia, the U.S. Government through its Department of Justice and the Colombian Prosecutor General’s Office held the First International Symposium on Victims of Crime at the Hotel Cosmos 100 in Bogota. The event, aimed at officials of the Colombian judiciary and communities interested in judicial affairs, sought to analyze the programs offered by these two entities in psychological care and legal assistance to victims. It also reviewed international models proposed in this field. It was attended by speakers from Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, United States and Colombia. U.S. Ambassador to Colombia William R. Brownfield and Deputy Attorney General Francisco Pareja were present at the opening.

During the symposium, the U.S. model for assistance to victims and witnesses governed by the principle of empowerment of the victim and their active participation in the judicial system was presented. This model was implemented at the Victims Assistance Center (CAV in Spanish), established recently in Bogotá with the support of the U.S. Government and the Attorney General's Office. Since its inauguration in March 2009, the CAV has served more than 1,000 secondary homicide victims, has coordinated more than 540 hearings and helped train over 140 law and psychology students in the service and attention to victims. Victims receive comprehensive care to meet with lawyers, psychologists and social workers who guide them through the stages of judicial proceedings.

The governments of Colombia and the United States developed several training sessions with judges, prosecutors and representatives of entities that are part of the network to assist victims. In all sessions, participants came to the conclusion that it was necessary to hold an event that would bring them all together, to discuss the best models in this field. The assisting network for victims of crimes is made up by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Colombian Family Welfare Institute, the National Police, the Faculty of Psychology and Law in Bogota, the District Health Department, the Social Integration Secretariat, the District Secretariat Traffic and Transport, and Accion Social, among others.