Seeing the state: human rights violations of victims of crime and abuse of power

There is a deeply held view within criminology that victims’ rights ‘movements’ are to be resisted. There is equally entrenched opinion amongst victim advocates that persons accused of offences have rights including human rights but persons as victims do not. 1 Both perspectives are fixated on the relationship between victim and accused. Both fail to ‘see’ the state in relation to persons as victims of crime and abuse of power. 2 This chapter considers how, through the lens of human rights, it may come more clearly into view.