New Zealand victim support agencies are leading the way in reaching crime victims, according to an international survey.
New Zealand was one of 30 countries compared in the International Crime Victims Survey undertaken by the United Nations and Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
The survey showed that the proportion of serious crime victims who received victim support was highest in New Zealand at 47%.
The government recently announced it will be boosting funding for Victim Support and the organisation's acting chief executive Heather Verry says the survey reaffirms it's reaching those in need.
However, Verry says the survey results do not mean New Zealand victims are receiving all the practical, emotional and financial support that they need.
This survey, and the recent New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey, showed victims were dissatisfied with the amount of information they received.
"Victims are clearly saying 'we are not always getting the information we need'. Receiving timely, full and accurate information is a right accorded to victims under law," says Verry.
She says Victim Support wants to see the Victims' Rights Act 2002 urgently applied and is pushing to ensure agencies that deal with victims uphold their obligations to ensure they receive the rights they are due.
Victim Support has about 1,700 volunteers nationwide who provide round the clock support to victims following crime, such as burglary through to homicide, and trauma, such as a suicide or accident.
