Victims of crime to get more support

Justice Minister Simon Power. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Victims of crime will soon get more financial and personal support - but the new measures coincide with tighter rules for counselling for sexual abuse victims.

The measures, announced by Justice Minister Simon Power yesterday, will be funded by a $50 levy on all offenders, which is expected to raise $13.6 million in the next four years.

They include dedicated support services for victims of sexual violence and for families of homicide victims, a $10,000 funeral grant for homicide victims, discretionary grants of up to $5000 for homicide victims' families in financial difficulties, and up to $124 per person per day for up to five family members of homicide victims to attend High Court hearings.

But the package comes just as the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) launches advertising on tight new rules for free counselling for victims of sexual violence.

Victim Support chief executive Tony Paine said his agency would administer all the new measures except for the funeral grant (ACC) and the sexual violence support service, along with a DVD and information leaflets, which would be run by the Ministry of Justice.

"We are very supportive of the minister's moves. They are a major step in the right direction," he said.

Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar said the initiatives were "necessary to help restore faith and balance in a badly shaken and out-of-balance criminal justice sector".

Auckland Sexual Abuse Help business manager Paulette Benton-Greig said the money for the Justice Ministry's new sexual violence support service should have been given to independent rape crisis agencies.

Meanwhile, ACC chief executive Jan White confirmed that the new rules for sexual abuse counselling, to take effect from October 27, would require a diagnosis of "mental injury resulting from the sexual abuse". The new system would "focus on providing clinically-based treatment over a shorter timeframe, typically around 16 treatment sessions".

Rallies against the new ACC rules are being held on Monday in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

THE PACKAGE

For murder
* Four-person support service in Victim Support.
* ACC funeral grant up from $5500 to $10,000.
* Victim Support grant up from $1500 to $5000.
* Up to $124 per day for up to five relatives to attend High Court.

For sexual violence
* 18-person court support service in Ministry of Justice.
* $250 for costs, eg, replacing items used as evidence.

All victims
* Court travel grants up from $1000 to $3000; from $500 to $1500 for parole board.