A/RES/65/228
(b) To encourage and assist women subjected to violence in lodging and
following through on formal complaints by providing protection to the victims and
advising them that the responsibility for pursuing charges and prosecuting offenders
rests with the police and the prosecution;
(c) To take appropriate measures to prevent hardship during the detection,
investigation and prosecution process in order to ensure that victims are treated with
dignity and respect, whether they participate in the criminal proceedings or not;
(d) To ensure that women subjected to violence have access to prompt and
fair redress for the harm that they have suffered as a result of violence, including the
right to seek restitution from the offender or compensation from the State;
(e) To provide court mechanisms and procedures that are accessible and
sensitive to the needs of women subjected to violence and that ensure the fair and
timely processing of cases;
(f) To provide efficient and easily accessible procedures for issuing
restraining or barring orders to protect women and other victims of violence and for
ensuring that victims are not held accountable for breaches of such orders;
(g) To recognize that children who have witnessed violence against their
parent or another person with whom they have a close relationship are victims of
violence and need protection, care and support;
(h) To ensure that women subjected to violence have full access to the civil
and criminal justice systems, including access to free legal aid, where appropriate,
court support and interpretation services;
(i) To ensure that women subjected to violence have access to qualified
personnel who can provide victim advocacy and support services throughout the
entire criminal justice process, as well as access to any other independent support
persons;
(j) To ensure that all services and legal remedies available to victims of
violence against women are also available to immigrant women, trafficked women,
refugee women, stateless women and all other women in need of such assistance,
and that specialized services for such women are established, where appropriate;
(k) To refrain from penalizing victims who have been trafficked for having
entered the country illegally or for having been involved in unlawful activities that
they were forced or compelled to carry out.
VII. Health and social services
19. Member States, in cooperation with the private sector, relevant
non-governmental organizations and professional associations, are urged, as
appropriate:
(a) To establish, fund and coordinate a sustainable network of accessible
facilities and services for emergency and temporary residential accommodation,
health services, including counselling and psychological care, legal assistance and
other basic needs for women and their children who are victims of violence or who
are at risk of becoming victims of violence;
(b) To establish, fund and coordinate services such as toll-free information
lines, professional multidisciplinary counselling and crisis intervention services and
support groups in order to benefit women who are victims of violence and their
children;
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