Protection of victims of crime at this time has not led to adequate protection. There is an impression that victim protection is sidelined and marginalized. To respond to this, postgraduate students in Criminology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FSPS UI) launched a book entitled “Berjalan Bersama Korban: Sejuta Jalan Hadirkan Keadilan” (Walking with Victims: A Million Ways to Bring Justice). It is a compilation of the work of 30 writers who are postgraduate students of Criminology 2020 batch, FSPS UI. This book initiates discourse on handling victims from various aspects, and involving actors from both the state and civil society.
At the launch of the book, the Dean of FSPS UI, Prof. Dr. Semiarto Aji Purwanto said that this book is very comprehensive in discussing various issues related to the position of the victim. It is important because it provides an alternative perspective on various crimes.
“So far, we know that the process of handling crimes is more about catching criminals and when criminals are caught and put on trial, the case is considered legally completed. However, when you are in the position of a victim, for example a victim of fraud, there will be many losses such as money and time during the judicial process, in this book it is called double victimization, and disturbs the sense of justice. I hope that with the publication of this book, theses, and other interesting dissertations, books and journals can be made,” said Prof. Semiarto (04/04).
In the online book launch, the Deputy for Enforcement and Capability Development of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme, BNPT), Irjen. Pol. Ibn Suhaendra was also present. According to him, this book has a significant contribution in the effort to realize a just law enforcement in Indonesia. “Likewise for the Department of Criminology, FSPS UI, I hope it will continue to be an inspiration in providing academic contributions to justice in the country,” Ibnu said in his virtual keynote speech.
Ibnu wrote a preface to the book, arguing that this book is very important because it contains many studies and in-depth analyzes related to handling crimes that focus on victims. He asked for more copies of this book to be given to his colleagues and all his staff at BNPT and other relevant agencies. He said, this book can be used as a material for discussion for the sake of learning and determining the policies to be taken. He realizes that constructive input, perspectives, and ideas from academics are needed to continuously improve services, protection, and support for victims of crime.
Professor of FSPS UI and also an expert in the field of criminology and police, Prof. Adiranus Meliala, said that this book is basically a collection of papers which are the final assignments of graduate students of the Department of Criminology, FSPS UI while attending the Advanced Victimology course in the Even Semester of 2020/2021. “The variety of students’ backgrounds made this book colorful. There are quite a number of topics written by students, including rarely written and found in various publications and journals related to victimization at home and abroad. This is certainly a distinct advantage of this book,” said Prof. Adiranus Meliala.
The crime perspective has for a long time only focused on the problem of crime, perpetrators of crime, and various responses to crime & criminals. In fact, the suffering of the victims is indescribable, especially if it is seen in the context of the concept of victimization. The situation of victimization also continues to occur after the crime event has occurred, the victim continues to feel traumatized by the crime incident one has experienced. Issues of psychological burden, health burden, and financial burden are elements that follow and burden victims during their post-crime life.
According to the Head of the Department of Criminology, FSPS UI, Dr. Ni Made Martini Putri, this book contributes to voice the rights of victims of crime, criticizes policies and services for victims of crime and in the end offers a formulation of the concept of crime victims. “With a light and easy-to-digest style of explanation, this book manages to describe the victims of crime in a broad sense, not just those who were directly harmed by a crime event, but also those who suffer indirect losses and suffering, even victims who never realize that they have been harmed by a crime,” he said.
