| Monday, August 20, 2007
World-class course in Victimology offered in Tamil Nadu
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, offers a programme
in victimology.
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, will offer a
course in victimology and victim assistance in the last week
of August. This is the first academic programme in victimology
to be offered in the country, wherein students can opt for either
certificate, diploma or post-graduate programme. Dr Beulah Shekhar,
faculty, department of criminology and criminal justice, and
coordinator for this new course in victimology, spoke to Education
Plus about the impact of this much-needed course, when she was
in Chennai last week.
Need for this course
“The future of criminology is victimology. Therefore,
victim support and awareness of victim rights are the need of
the hour in India. Relief and support to those who have suffered
physical or emotional injury as a result of a crime is vital,”
says Dr. Beulah. Victim is a term that includes not only crime
victims but also disaster or crisis victims also, and therefore
they need effective assistance programme. “Increased awareness
of victimology will result in increased crime reporting and
also, most importantly, it can prevent crime,” she says.
“An important object to the criminal justice system is
to ensure justice to the victims, yet he/she is not given any
substantial right, not even to participate in the criminal proceedings.
To achieve this goal, training and education in victimology
by trained professionals to the criminal justice professional
will help,” says Dr. Beulah.
World-class
“The course we offer is world-class in terms of curriculum
and quality. It is sponsored by the University Grants Commission
(UGC) under ‘Teaching and research in emerging areas’
and will be in line with the United Nations Declaration of the
Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of crime and abuse of
Power 1985. This course will be a step in the right direction
towards victim justice that is a thrust area both nationally
and internationally,” says Dr. Beulah. Till now those
interested in this field of study proceed to Japan, to study
victimology.
For whom
The programme will adequately educate and train members of police,
judiciary, medical and social welfare institutions and other
frontline professionals and para-professionals working with
victims about the basic concepts of victimology and victim assistance.
The course is designed to empower criminal justice professionals
working with the system, dealing with the victims and sensitise
them.
Victimology in India
According to Dr. Beulah, there are no specific laws as yet in
India for the victims.
The draft bill on the subject submitted to the Government in
1995 by the Indian Society of Victimology (ISV) provides a tentative
framework for consideration. Justice Malimath Commission (2003)
also recommends justice for victims through amendment in existing
laws.
Apart from the legal provision in the criminal procedure code,
there is only one victim compensation fund instituted by the
Tamil Nadu government in 1995 based on the recommendations of
the ISV.
Syllabus
The programme in victimology will cover areas such as Restorative
Justice, police interrogation, gender victimisation, victims
and human rights, victims and media, child victimisation and
victims and scientific investigation. “The course will
prepare professionals to manage disaster such as tsunami and
also equip the participants with skills of crisis intervention,”
she says, adding that “the course will also be a collaborative
effort of the various wings of the criminal justice systems
and different department. And, hence, will be an innovative
effort at teaching, fostering an interdisciplinary approach.”
On completion of the course, participants will be able to understand
the need for victim assistance, role of victimology in prevention
of crime, history and role of the victim in society, describe
ways victims assistance programmes help the victim and also
learn how to develop programmes to help victims.
The course
The University offers full time and part-time programmes. It
is open to students, sponsored candidates from industry, agency,
organisation or NGO, government departments such as police and
judiciary, counsellors and social workers and to faculty dealing
with student’s issues in educational institutions. Those
with an undergraduate degree in any subject are eligible for
the two-year postgraduate programme. Those with a postgraduate
degree in the related field or work experience in NGO are eligible
for the six-month diploma programme. The 21-days certificate
course in open only for criminal justice professionals. The
fees for the courses are nominal.
For more details, call: 0462 - 233 3741 or email: beulahshekhar@yahoo.com
Courtesy: The Hindu - Education Plus
|
