Socialinių ir teisinių paslaugų teikimo nukentėjusiems asmenims probleminiai aspektai
The Problematic Aspects of Social and Legal Protection for Crime Victims

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the system of aid and support to the harmed individual (crime victim) in Lithuania, reveals challenges of its functioning. Since the sphere of this work is victimology, it presents and analyses data from the latest representative victimological research, which are used to support the evaluation of the system under analysis. In order to reveal the shortcomings of the system, the article presents a more in-depth analysis of the harmed individual's rights to state granted services, support, i.e. legal aid and compensation of damages. The revealed current situation displays the extent to which people are aware of their rights, legal protection of the harmed individual ensured by law, possibilities of its exercise, also about organizations, i.e. non-governmental organizations, public institutions, providing services to harmed individuals of all categories. The article proposes certain improvements to social and legal protection of harmed individuals, effective models of aid and support. Data from victimological survey that was carried out by the Centre for Crime Prevention in Lithuania in 2007, showed that only 6 percent of all the respondents were positive talking about the protection of crime victims in Lithuania, meanwhile there were 63 percent, i.e. 10 times more of those who were negative. Besides, almost 64 percent of respondents would like to get more information about the rights of crime victims and possibilities to protect them. This shows wide shortage of information on the matter. For example, only 1/3 of all respondents were aware of the state guarantied free legal aid for crime victims, 42 percent were unaware of that, and 27 percent were wrong about such service being unpaid. Besides, only 14 percent of respondents righdy indicated, that state should compensate damage for violent crime victims. Importandy, that only 1/3 of respondents were able to indicate at least one non-governmental or public organization providing services or support for persons that suffered from the criminal acts.

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