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Presentation Cross-Border Cooperation in Claiming Compensation

Document number
3289
Date
27 May 2019
Title
Presentation Cross-Border Cooperation in Claiming Compensation
Author/publisher
Pam Bowen
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Meeting Documentation/Conference Reports,
Keywords
compensation assets recovery prosecution
Summary

Presentation of Prosecutor Ms. Pam Bowen - UK - delivered at LSI's International Exchange Seminar, May 2019

In her presentation Pam Bowen highlighted that in the UK - like in many other countries - there are many challenges in pursuing compensation. She highlighted the importance of access to justice and compensation, but noted that ‘our response should not and can not be predicated on a criminal justice response, which is what many governments promote, including the UK’. According to her ‘While there is an increase of investigations by the police in the UK, and an increase in the identification of victims and an increase in prosecutions and convictions, there are still many cases not prosecuted, because victims are not supporting investigation or prosecution; ‘Just over 1% of the victims want to support the prosecution’.     

The decision for the location of the prosecution, often is based on where the exploitation took place (or the longest part of the exploitation took place); what is most in the benefit of the victim is mostly not taken into account. From Pam Bowen’s presentation it became clear that in the UK, the assets recovery seems has a high impact on the outcome of the compensation claim and the amount awarded.