Impact on victims family

Question 1

Economic.

Answer 1

• Provide financial support for victim
• In cases where victims have been debilitated, the family may need to pay for adjustments to their homes which can be quite expensive
• In more severe cases, victims may be unable to work and rely on their families to support them financially
• For example, the Office for National Statistics stated that 21% of victims took time off work because of being assaulted

Question 2

Social

Answer 2

• Social isolation
• In some cases, families can find themselves becoming isolated from the public after the incident
• People may avoid them as they don’t know how to offer support or the families may close off due to shock
• This can lead to a long term impact which can lead to loneliness and isolation
• For example, scam victims aged over 70 lost £977 million between 2019 and 2022 so families will have to provide emotional support and possibly a place for the victim to live

Question 3

Physical

Answer 3

• Family may experience physical trauma or injury after witnessing a crime
• Relatives may often find themselves as witnesses of the crime, especially children in abuse cases
• Being a witness can turn into trauma, presenting itself as feeling sick, faint or in pain
• For example, it was found that violent crime is more likely to happen in a victims house 20% of the time
• This suggests that there will be many family members who have been negatively affected by the violence
• It is safe to suggest that the physical impact on the families is substantial and can cause children to experience adverse childhood experiences