2.1 Concept, Nature and Types of Crime Victims

A crime victim is the person who, individually or collectively, has suffered harm — physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss, or substantial impairment of rights — through acts or omissions that violate criminal law (the UN Declaration's definition logic). Nature: the victim is (i) a party to the criminal conflict, (ii) a bearer of rights, and (iii) often the principal evidence-source — three roles the system must not confuse.Types of crime victims (the working typology): | Type | Description | Nepal example | |---|---|---| | Direct/primary victim | The person harmed | The assaulted pedestrian | | Indirect/ secondary victims | Family, dependents of the deceased/incapacitated | The homicide victim's children | | Vulnerable victims | Children, elderly, disabled, sick | Child sexual abuse survivor | | Gendered victims | Victims of gender-based violence | Domestic violence survivor | | Victims of power | Victims of state actors/abuse of power | Torture, disappearance survivors | | Repeat victims | Victimized repeatedly (the repetition pattern) | The repeatedly abused spouse | | Victims without borders | Cross-border victims | Trafficked persons, smuggled migrants | | Corporate/collective victims | Communities, organizations | The defrauded depositors' group |