Jan van Dijk - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jan van Dijk

International Review of Victimology, 2009

In Western languages those affected by crime are universally labelled as ‘victims’, meaning the s... more In Western languages those affected by crime are universally labelled as ‘victims’, meaning the sacrificed ones. According to the author this practice seems to originate from the association of the plight of victims with the suffering of Jesus Christ. In his view, the victim label, although eliciting compassion for victims, assigns to them a social role of passivity and forgiveness that they may increasingly find to be restraining. He analyses the narratives of eleven high-profile victims such as Natascha Kampusch, the couple McCann and Reemtsma to illustrate this thesis. The article continues with a critical review of biases deriving from the unreflexive adoption of the victim label in various schools of thought in victimology and criminal law. Finally, the author argues for the introduction of stronger procedural rights for crime victims in criminal trials and for a new focus within victimology on processes of victim labelling.

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The Palgrave International Handbook of Human Trafficking, 2019

An International Perspective on Contemporary Developments in Victimology, 2020

In this paper I revisit some of my older publications on ‘victim labeling’ which I consider to be... more In this paper I revisit some of my older publications on ‘victim labeling’ which I consider to be the main fruits of my stay at INTERVICT, the research center on victimology at Tilburg University founded by Marc Groenhuijsen. In my view those harmed by crime are in Western culture socially labelled as ‘victims’, or as passive, helpless sufferers rather than resilient survivors. According to my original writings the root of this label is to be found in the Christian imagery of Jesus Christ as ‘victim of our sins’. Reviewers have confirmed this historical interpretation with some amendments. In the second part of the paper I discuss results of recent social-psychological studies confirming the existence of the ‘victim label’ and its connotations of passive suffering. Finally, I discuss the political implication of victim labeling theory that those harmed by crime should be liberated from the label and be recognized as key participants in both criminal trials and restorative justice.

Repeat victims in the West report crimes more often than other victims in order to see the offend... more Repeat victims in the West report crimes more often than other victims in order to see the offender arrested and/or to stop what is happening. Repeat victims know or assume that the same offender(s) are victimising them again and again. Repeat victims contact the police with more demanding aims than other victims. The reporting patterns of repeat victims in the West resemble those of all victims in poorer countries. Like the victims in these countries, Western repeat victims are less inclined to report at all. This finding suggests that they are less certain that the police can satisfy their needs. Repeat victims in the West do not refrain from reporting because they consider their victimisation not serious enough. They are more likely than one-time victims to refrain because they feel the police could not or would not do anything to help them. In this respect, too, they resemble victims from poorer countries. Repeat victims are less often satisfied with the police response in all r...

Women and Children as Victims and Offenders: Background, Prevention, Reintegration, 2016

Studies in Global Justice, 2010

ABSTRACT This book documents the magnitude of this “unjust side of globalization.” It discusses h... more ABSTRACT This book documents the magnitude of this “unjust side of globalization.” It discusses how globalization victimizes ordinary people and how recent improvements in the protection of victims of crime are compromized by the same processes. On the positive side globalization may create a new sensitivity to victimhood in far away corners. This chapter provides an introduction to the main themes and concepts used in this book.

Journal of Quantitative Criminology

Objectives This article explores the merits of commercially-based survey data on crime through cr... more Objectives This article explores the merits of commercially-based survey data on crime through cross-validation with established crime metrics. Methods Using unpublished data from 166 countries covering the period between 2006 and 2019, the article describes the geographical distribution across global regions and trends over time of three types of common crime, homicide, and organised crime. The article then explores possible determinants of the geographical distributions through regressing prevalence rates against indices of poverty, inequality, proportion of youth, presence of criminal opportunities (wealth and urbanisation), and governance/rule of law. Results The results show that African and Latin American countries suffer from the highest levels of various types of crime across the board, followed by countries in Asia. European, North American and Australian countries experience intermediate or relatively low levels of most types of crime. Levels of common crime have dropped o...

ERA Forum

The regulatlons on trafficking in persons in many ways reflect the basic provisions of the UN Pro... more The regulatlons on trafficking in persons in many ways reflect the basic provisions of the UN Protocol against trafficking in persons (UNMIK/REG/2001/4 Sec. I I). 8 The Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by land, see and air contains provisions for protection of human rights, protection against violence and assistance for persons who have been the object of smuggling as defined in the protocol. Such persons are not considered to be the victims of smuggling but can be victims of other crimes such as violence, sexual violence or trafllcking in persons, 9 The ten principles of justice of the Declaration bear a s~criking similarity to the norms for victim provisions adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (see footnote t).

International Review of Victimology

In this article the author responds to a review by Galona (2018) of the historical-theological pa... more In this article the author responds to a review by Galona (2018) of the historical-theological parts of victim labelling theory as elaborated previously in this journal and elsewhere (van Dijk, 2009). According to Galona, the term ‘victima/victim’ as a special name for Jesus Christ was not coined by Reformation theologians like Calvin, as asserted by van Dijk, but was for example already widely used by Roman poets. It also appeared in pre-Reformation theological writings for centuries. In his rejoinder, the author explains that Roman poets indeed sometimes used the term ‘victima’ for human beings but did so in a purely metaphorical sense. He agrees with Galona that the use of this label in its figural sense denoting Christ’s deep and innocent suffering emerged in theological writings pre-dating the Reformation. However, the label only ‘went viral’ around the time of the Reformation and has, from that time onwards, been the universal colloquial term for ordinary people victimised by ...

Schizophrenia bulletin, Jan 14, 2018

Psychotic disorders often have been linked with violence. However, studies have shown that people... more Psychotic disorders often have been linked with violence. However, studies have shown that people with a psychotic disorder are more often victim than perpetrator of violence. The objective of this meta-analysis was to review prevalence rates for different types of victimization and to identify risk factors associated with victimization. Based on a search in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, 27 studies were found with samples consisting of adults with a psychotic disorder and possible victimization occurring during adulthood and data on "violent victimization," "sexual victimization," "non-violent victimization," and/or "victimization not otherwise specified." The median prevalence rate for violent victimization was 20%, for sexual victimization 20%, nonviolent victimization 19%, and for victimization not otherwise specified 19%. Victimization rates were approximately 4-6 times higher than in the general community. Meta-analyses showed th...

European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

Public anxiety about crime is common among urban populations in Europe. Crime control is one of t... more Public anxiety about crime is common among urban populations in Europe. Crime control is one of the classic tasks of the state. Western states are not performing very well in this respect. Relative to other policy sectors such as the economy, health and housing, crime reduction policies are remarkably unsuccessful. It is not for want of trying, because expenditures for law enforcement have increased considerably for years on end. To some extent crime

Revue Belge De Philologie Et D Histoire, 2006

Journal of Financial Stability, 2010

... Available at http://crimprev.eu Dijk, JJ M van. ... Veelbelovende verklaringen voor de dating... more ... Available at http://crimprev.eu Dijk, JJ M van. ... Veelbelovende verklaringen voor de dating van de cri-minaliteit na 2002. ... by potential victims is the key factor in the equation.™ Criminology FROM CHICAGO Crime and Justice A Review of Research lUittJ by Mitbiel linn wa™ 38 ...