INTERVICT

The International Victimology Institute Tilburg promotes and executes interdisciplinary research that can contribute to a comprehensive, evidence-based body of knowledge on the empowerment and support of victims of crime and abuse of power.

INTERVICT

Current Projects


Short term projects
Long term / PhD projects

Short term projects
Victimisatie van patiënten met ernstige psychiatrische problematiek, een landelijke multi-site studie (Victimisation in patients with severe mental illness, a nationwide multi-site study)
Researchers: S. Bogaerts, J. Henrichs, N. Mulder (Erasmus MC),
A. Kamperman (Erasmus MC)
Commissioned by: WODC (Research and Documentation Centre, Ministry of Security and Justice)
Summary: The project proposes to study victimization rates and risk factors among persons with severe mental illness (SMI). We will conduct a nationwide multi-site cross-sectional survey among 940 SMI patients. At each site a random sample, stratified on sex and age, will be selected. In a structured interview, we will assess experiences and consequences of victimisation, discrimination and self stigmatization, perpetration of violence, childhood trauma, symptom severity and co-morbid psychopathology (e.g. anger, PTSD). Research findings will be compared with a matched sample from the Dutch general population. Additionally, we will develop a preliminary conceptual model.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research September 2011
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Methodologisch Onderzoek ADHD/PTSD (Research ADHD/PTSD)
Researchers: S. Bogaerts, J. Henrichs
Commissioned by: de Kijvelanden (Forensic Psychiatric Centre) and Mesdag Clinic (Forensic Psychiatric Centre)
Summary: This project addresses the relation between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using a clinical sample of 201 forensic psychiatric patients (male and female) in the Netherlands. Data on demographics, different types of psychopathology, victimization and delinquency, and psychiatric history during childhood and adolescence have been obtained from medical registries and/or are based on structured clinical interviews and psychiatric diagnosis. Apart from investigating overlap and co-morbidity between ADHD and PTSD, we will examine predictors and correlates of PTSD. The results of the first study will be used for a second more theoretical study. In this study, the dimensional overlap (co-morbidity) between ADHD and PTSD will be described and explained. Using a psychological dimensional framework, rather than a categorical approach, we will search for and address theoretical foundations concerning the core of the concept of PTSD. This is to join the discussions currently being conducted in the DSM-V recommendation board on PTSD about the existence of PTSD as an independent diagnostic concept.
Status: in operation.
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Indexing Trafficking in Human Beings - Gauging its Trends, Causes and Consequences in the European Dimension
Consortium: Universität Göttingen (Germany), INTERVICT, London School of Economics and Political Science (UK)
INTERVICT Researchers: J.J.M. van Dijk, F. Klerx-van Mierlo, P. Okur
Commissioned by: European Union (Action Grant - DG Justice, Freedom and Security)
Summary: Developing a composite severity index of trafficking at the country/year level, based on statistical analyses on relationships among existing databases of relevant organizations (UNODC, IOM, ILO and U.S. State Dept.), and further information about policy and institutions relevant to the crime.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research January 2012.
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Victims and restorative Justice. An empirical study of the needs, experiences and position of victims within restorative justice practices.
Consortium: European Forum for Restorative Justice (Belgium), National Research Institute of Legal Policy (NRILP-Finland), National Institute for Health and Welfare (NIHW-Finland), University of Helsinki (Finland), Institute for the Sociology of Law and Criminology (IRKS-Austria), Neustart (Austria), INTERVICT, K.U. Leuven, Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC-Belgium), National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Brussels (NICC-Belgium)
INTERVICT Researchers: A. Pemberton, M. Laxminarayan, K.M.E. Lens
Commissioned by: European Union (Criminal Justice - DG Justice, Freedom and Security)
Summary: The general objective of the project is to gain more insight - through empirical evidence - about the needs, experiences and position of victims when participating in RJ programs. The aim is to set up empirical research in several European countries, in a comparative way. The enhanced knowledge must finally support the assistance to victims and the sound implementation of RJ programs in Europe. The research will focus on the two most important models of RJ applied in the context of criminal justice, namely victim-offender mediation and conferencing. Both adult and juvenile justice will be addressed.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research November 2012.
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Threat and Intimidation of Mayors
Researcher: S. Bogaerts, H. Holtmaat, L.C.A. van Dee, N.M.P.G. Speessen
Commissioned by: Nederlands Genootschap van Burgemeesters (Dutch Society of Mayers)
Summary: Through a brief literature scan and group discussions attempts will be made to obtain insights in the prevention of threats and unwanted situations for mayors.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research July 2011.
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A victim's perspective on the human rights based approach to Trafficking in Human Beings; research on cost-benefit analyses by victims
Researchers: J.J.M. van Dijk, C.R.J.J. Rijken, F. Klerx-van Mierlo
Commissioned by: Fonds Slachtofferhulp (Victim Support Fund)
Summary: In most countries, including the Netherlands, access to support and protection facilities is made dependent on the will to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. Victims are often perceived as poor and helpless persons but in the trafficking process it is presumed that they make a calculation and take decisions based on that calculation, for instance, whether they will make use of the facilities or not. This research focus on this mechanism of cost-benefit analyses by victims of THB. Interviews will be conducted and focusgroups will be established in order to get an insight in this mechanism. This insight will help us to answer the question whether support and protection offered fits the needs of these victims.
Status: start September 2011. Results expected September 2012.
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Long term / PhD projects
The impact of the international human rights framework on eradicating Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)
Researcher: M.J. Middelburg
Commissioned by: Tilburg Law School
Summary: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is one of the most harmful and widespread traditional practices experienced by women. The international community has recognized FGM/C as a fundamental violation of various human rights by means of numerous international human rights instruments. However, there is no significant decline in the prevalence of FGM/C and it seems that the actual impact of the international human rights framework is limited. Through literature research, legal analysis and empirical study, this research will analyze the international human rights framework and its impact. The aim of this research project is to fully understand why the impact of the human rights framework at the national and community level is limited with regard to FGM/C and which factors influence this impact positively and/or negatively.
Status: in operation. Expected conclusion of research September 2015.
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Reparation for Victims of Collateral Damage? A Normative and Theoretical Study
Researcher: A. Muleefu
Commissioned by: Tilburg Law School
Summary: The existing laws of war do not provide for reparation to all victims of armed conflict. They exclude victims of collateral damages, caused by acts which are considered lawful under the laws of war. This covers both damages resulting from anattack proportionate to the military objective aswell as damages resulting from errors or unintended actions. Through a thorough examination of relevant international norms, available doctrine and the practice of some enumerated and representative institutions, this project explores whether there are normative and/or theoretical grounds for providing reparation to this category of victims.
Status: in operation. Expected conclusion of research 2015.
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Self-coping Efficacy after traumatic Events
Researchers: M.W.G. Bosmans
Commissioned by: ARQ Foundation / INTERVICT
Summary: The coping self-efficacy of victims of traumatic events has been receiving increasing attention. In light of this development, a unique extensive longitudinal study is being conducted among victims of violence, accidents, fires, calamities and disasters. An important part of this study is the validation of a Dutch version ofthe originally English Self-Coping Efficacy List with the aim to provide an instrument that can be used in screening and victim assistance, as well as for future research.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research February 2015.
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The Adoption of an Intersectional Approach by the Human Rights Framework addressing Violence against Women.
Researcher: L.P.A. Sosa
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: The influence of factors such as women's ethnicity, class, migrant status, age, religion, sexual orientation, etc. have a complex influence on the forms of violence that women suffer and the way they experience it. All different forms and manifestations of violence against women (VAW) are shaped by cultural norms and social dynamicswithin societies. These interlocking structures that perpetuate inequality constitutea complex system. For that reason, the use of an intersectional approachin order to address violence against women, capturing the complexity of inequality and discrimination by focusing on the interlocking social structures that perpetuate inequality, has been gradually encouraged by the UN human rights system. Recommendations made by the international human rights bodies to adopt intersectionality in the analysis of VAW areplentiful.Yet, ''intersectionality'' seems far from being a univocal concept. Questions abound, particularly about the assumptions behind the notion, its role in research, and also, its expected contribution to the current human rights approach to VAW.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2014.
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Workplace Related Research among Victimised Penitentiary Workers
Researchers: F. Klerx-van Mierlo
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: This project focuses on vulnerability factors in the explanation of workplace aggression towards Dutch Penitentiary Workers. A conceptual model is constructed, derived out of a composed theoretical framework in which victim’s personality and behavioural characteristics are suggested to act as vulnerability factors for experiencing workplace aggression. The most important concepts in the model are Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Maladapted Coping Strategies, Type D personality characteristics and Negative Childhood Experiences. In order to test the hypotheses formulated in the theoretical-conceptual model, a longitudinal quantitative study is conducted. In addition, a qualitative study is conducted to be able to investigate personal, sensitive or confidential information and to disclose specific mechanisms and dynamics between the variables in the conceptual model.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2014.
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Role of Ethnicity in Sexual Violence and Abuse Behavior
Researcher: P. Okur
Commissioned by: NWO (The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) / INTERVICT
Summary: Sexual abuse among minorities represents a gap in scientific knowledge. In order to draw any meaningful conclusion on the prevalence of varieties of sexual abuse among minors of a non-Western background, and whether ethnicity/culture is a distinguishing variable, comparative research is required.
Status: in operation. Expected date of delivery 2014.
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Does Violence Begets Violence? Cultural differences in the risk for delinquency among young Moroccan and Dutch adolescent boys.
Researchers: A. Lahlah
Commissioned by: Provincie Noord-Brabant
Summary: In the past decades we have witnessed a surge in public interest, social intervention, and new public policies aimed separately at ending domestic violence and youth violence. So far, the themes domestic violence and youth violence are often viewed as separate problems. However, a growing body of clinical experience and research reveals that children growing up in violent families are more likely to engage in youth violence. In this study, both forms of violence are examined to see whether and if so, how they interact. Given the overrepresentation of Moroccan boys in the juvenile justice system, it is of importance to develop a research framework on cultural differences in the risk for delinquency among Moroccan-Dutch and Native-Dutch youngsters exposed to domestic violence.
Status: in operation. Expected date of delivery 2013.
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The effectiveness of Video Interaction Guidance in Families with Premature Infants: the impact of neonatal medical problems on parent-child interactions, including child maltreatment and neglect.
Researchers: H.J.A. van Bakel, A.J.J.M. Vingerhoets, F.W. Winkel, A. Tooten, H.N. Hoffenkamp, R.A.S. Hall
Commissioned by: Stichting Achmea Slachtoffer en Samenleving (Achmea Victim and Society Foundation)
Summary: Retrospective studies on child abuse found a high incidence of premature births in maltreated children. This has led to the hypothesis that prematurity places an infant at higher risk for maltreatment and neglect. An explanation proposed for the relation between prematurity and adverse parenting is a delay or disturbance in bonding. Subsequently, a disturbance in bonding may predispose to distorted parent-infant interactions, thereby facilitating abusive or neglectful behaviours. With a growing number of preterm births and an alarming number of children victimized by maltreatment, more insight in this process is needed. The first purpose of the current study is to further elucidate the bonding process. The second aim is to examine the effect of a hospital intervention, Video Interaction Guidance, in families with preterm infants to diminish parental stress, enhance parental bonding and coping skills. A Randomized Controlled Trial is being conducted in 8 hospitals in the Netherlands to evaluate the effectiveness of VIG as a preventive intervention. Parents of full term, moderately preterm and extremely preterm are followed during the infant’s first half year of life.
Status: in operation. Expected date of delivery 2013.
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Forensic Social Network Analysis
Researcher: L. Pomp
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: The personal networks of forensic psychiatric patients and their risk behavior. Little is known about social network dynamics in relation to behavioral outcomes of the forensic psychiatric population. This project introduces the Forensic Social Network Analysis (FSNA). The FSNA is an instrument to systematically chart the relationships and personal networks of forensic psychiatric patients in the context of their individual risk behavior. The project uses FSNA questionnaires to interview the patients about their personal networks at the time of their offenses, during treatment and at the moment of reentering society. The analyses mainly focus on the characteristics of the social networks of these offenders: size, structure, social support/control, position of victims and network members with potential risk- or protective factors. The aim of the project is to provide additional information for risk assessment/ management purposes.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2013.
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The Effect of Victim Impact Statements on Reparation of the Victim’s Emotional Damage via Acknowledgement
Researcher: K.M.E. Lens
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: This PhD-research centers on the question whether delivering a Victim Impact Statement contributes to the emotional recovery of victims of crime. Do Victim Impact Statements positively influence the recovery process, or are they ineffective or even counterproductive in the sense that they entail victims risking secondary victimisation? A multi-disciplinairy approach (social psychology, criminology, victimology) will be adopted to answer above-mentioned question.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2013.
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Reparations to child victims of war
Researcher: F. Capone
Commissioned by: Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna / INTERVICT
Summary: In the general discourse on reparations normally two situations should be compared: the current situation and the hypothetical one that would exist if the violation had not occurred. The gap between the two is bridged by effective and prompt reparation, when it comes to children affected by war, though, the simple restoration of the status quo ante, besides being not sufficient, is often undesirable. Every violation of a primary right should entail the right to reparation, but since it’s impossible to focus on all of them, only ‘gross human rights violations and serious violations of humanitarian law’ will be taken into account, due to the devastating impact that they have on child victim’s lives, which shall trigger the adoption of specific and child-tailored redress measures. The aim of this project is, in the first place, to establish if and to what extent children, in particular those suffering from gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law occurred during or in the aftermath of a conflict, are entitled to the full exercise of the right to reparation. The enquiry covers the recognition of the right’s existence under international law, children’s access to procedural and participatory rights and, eventually, the award of substantive forms of reparation compatible with the assessment of children’s needs and expectations.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2013.
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Understanding Criminal Victimization at Macro and Micro Levels; Secondary Analysis of the International Crime Victim Surveys from a Rational Choice Perspective
Researcher: J.N. van Kesteren
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: The central notion of the study is that victim characteristics determine both the prevalence of offenders in a given environment (macro level impact) and the selection by offenders of individuals to be targets of victimization (micro level impact). One of the topics to be addressed is for example the relationship between migrant status and victimization by hate crimes. The hypothesis will be tested that migrants are not only more likely to be victimized by hate crimes but that regions with more migrants show much higher prevalence rates of such crimes. The theory will also look at the dynamic interplay between behavior of victims and offenders at both levels. In response to perceived increased risks victims take more self protection measures. These measures reduce their individual risks to be victimized through reduced personal vulnerability. But if more victims take such measures, this collective action may also dissuade local youngster from becoming offenders in the first place. This will result in reduced crime rates over all and thus further reduce individual risks.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2012.
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Modeling Access to Justice for Victims
Researcher: M.S. Laxminarayan
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: The research project Measuring Access to Justice for Victims examines the experiences of victims of crime in various legal procedures. The project is embedded in a larger research study, in cooperation with TISCO (Tilburg Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies of Civil Law and Conflict Resolution Systems). The research has developed a model for evaluating experiences of victims, and identifying what is important to victims when controlling for different individual level and societal level variables. The relation between the variables (i.e. gender, personality, culture) are tested within differing locations, namely the Netherlands, Australia and refugees in Nepal. The overall aim of the project is to extend the body of knowledge regarding justice preference of victims to a more comprehensive understanding of what factors should be accounted for when making these claims.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research 2012.
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Compensating Victims’ Losses
Researcher: J.D.W.E. Mulder
Commissioned by: INTERVICT
Summary: Inthe last decades victims of crime have been receiving an increasing level of attention. To date this, however, has not changed the perspective of scholars who analyze crime from an economic point of view. Although they acknowledge, besides deterrence, compensation as an underlying goal of damages, law & economics scholars still focus solely on how individuals can be deterred from committing crime. This study aims at incorporating victims into the economic analysis of crime and at elucidating the compensation objective of (tort) law. By means of a literature study and two empirical ones we hope to achieve a better understanding of the effects of compensating victims of crime.
Status: in operation. Expected date conclusion of research early 2012.
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