In the politics of law and order, it’s easy for politicians to talk tough about crime while issuing empty promises to victims of serious crimes. The sad reality is that successive UK governments have paid little more than lip service to the needs of victims left reeling after their lives were devastated by the actions of others. So it is unsurprising that the UK government’s announcement of a new "Victims’ Law" has been welcomed by some, but greeted with caution by others. Until we know the details, we cannot know what this proposed legislation will amount to, and whether it goes far enough. As Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove has said: “A new law cannot be used as a quick fix.”

UK law already protects victims' rights

What we do know is that it will not be the first time that victims’ rights have been protected under UK law. The Human Rights Act has already given rights, dignity and a voice to numerous victims who would otherwise have been left entirely unsupported by the law. The Human Rights Act gave the family of Naomi Bryant the right to participate in an independent and effective investigation into her death at the hands of a convicted sex offender in 2005. The Human Rights Act gave Patience Asuquo the right to have the police investigate her abuse and enslavement by her so-called employer, and the right to compensation when they failed to do so. Earlier this year, the Human Rights Act enabled a mother to prevent a man convicted of sexually abusing one of her daughters to use his property rights to get hold of photographs of her children.

The huge impact of the Human Rights Act

These are only a few examples from Liberty’s own casework. The real impact of the Human Rights Act on victims’ rights has been huge and yet it is entirely ignored by a government apparently committed to making victims a priority. Anyone who really cares about supporting the victims of devastating crimes – victims of trafficking, domestic violence and child sexual exploitation, for example – needs to understand that for many victims, the Human Rights Act is the law they need the most.