Any person may become a victim of an abusive crime – rape, violence, robbery or even a car accident. Sometimes it is not fully clear to us whether we should file a complaint to the police, and how will the police officers treat us in case we would.
And even if we found the courage and the inner strength and filed a complaint, we may find that the case was closed on grounds of lack of public interest or insufficient evidence, even though we specified in our complaint that there were witnesses to the incident.
And maybe the investigation was actually successful, and an indictment was finally filed against the offender, still no one informs us about the course of the procedure, and we are afraid that a plea bargain that is too light shall be arrived at behind our backs. There’s no doubt that we further deserve compensation for the damage we suffered, but how can we get it? Will the state help us? And how can we ensure that the same criminal will not reside in our neighborhood in the future?
What can be done?
The encounter with the law enforcement agencies – the police, the prosecutor’s office and the courts – may be confusing, intimidating and unpleasant. Some victims of sexual assault, for example, described the experience of testimony in court as a “second rape.” Those who engage in law enforcement, despite having good intentions, are sometimes too worn-out and too busy to pay the proper attention to the case, which, from our own perspective, might be a seminal and a traumatic event.
Our firm provides legal counsel and representation to plaintiffs of all genders throughout the entire procedure of the criminal process: advising on whether to file a complaint in the first place, filing an appeal against a decision to close an investigation file, presenting the victim’s position regarding the punishment and filing civil lawsuits against the offenders.
Our firm has extensive experience in working with victims of criminal offenses: sexual abuse, including at work, and even victims of attacks by the law enforcement authorities themselves, such as police and military violence. The legal service we provide includes counsel and information about the various stages of the procedure, clarification of the options available to the victim, maintaining contact with the law enforcement agencies, and in the appropriate case – filing a claim. All of that in order to assure that the procedure will indeed result in due avail and correct the injustice caused to the victim, and not, as it may sometimes happen, cause further injustice.
