More people seek compensation as victims of violence, but the situation continues that only a partial percentage of people are familiar with the scheme, claimed the Office for Victim Compensation.
In 2016, there were 39,584 cases that could have provided a basis for victim compensation. The Office for Victim Compensation received 4529 applications last year, reported Klassekampen newspaper. That was 507 more applications than in 2015. Also in 2017, a number are available still to apply.
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Director, Marit Zahl Jonassen, respects that not everyone wants to apply, but believes that the numbers who do apply suggests that better provision of information about the scheme is needed.
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‘We are concerned that anyone who is eligible for victim compensation knows about the scheme, and can choose if they want to apply or not,’ she said.
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‘Additionally, we are aware of all the countless cases that are never reported. In family law cases,
for example, people may be reluctant to report a spouse’, explained Zahl Jonassen.
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The relationship must be notified in order to apply for victim compensation, but no court judgment is required, and cases may also have been dropped by the police.
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To claim for victim compensation, the requirement of a body of evidence is lower than in criminal law.
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© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
