Understanding Terrorism: Key Traits and Victim Assistance
Definitional Traits of Terrorism
Terrorism lacks a universally accepted definition. It is a type of criminal activity included within the term “organized crime,” implying the existence of groups with defined rules of action, a definite purpose, and a tendency to transmit their norms and standards to new associates within the organization.
The central elements of terrorism are:
- The use or threat of violence
- Politically motivated
- Creating psychological pressure by means of terror to achieve a particular purpose.
In addition to the aggressor and the victim, a third element plays an important role: the audience of the general public, members of government, and other powers.
What defines a terrorist act are the following aspects:
- Endangers the lives, safety, or property of individuals.
- Seeks maximum dissemination of the act and causes terror, intimidation, and insecurity in those who suffer directly or indirectly, and very prominently in the general population.
- Aims to lobby governments, institutions, or groups into agreeing to the will or wishes of those who execute the attack.
- Terrorists believe that the people, terrified by their actions, will eventually push the government and institutions to yield to the demands of the bombers.
The terrorist strategy is based on the idea that the victim will eventually perceive the government and institutions as “responsible” in two ways: to the extent that they show their inability to defend, and to the extent that they cannot end the problem, even if this is achieved by transferring what the terrorists demand. For this reason, the terrorist act is intended to be always unpredictable, shocking, unexpected, unrelenting, uncontrollable, and, above all, advertised as widely as possible.
Office of Victim Assistance
Offices of victim assistance have been created to provide comprehensive and immediate assistance to victims. Some depend on the justice ministry, and others on autonomous communities where the latter have transferred the field of justice. The lack of specific regulation has led to the coexistence of two models: the one-person model (dependent on the Ministry of Justice) and the multidisciplinary model (in CC.AA).
- The one-person model is characterized by assistance coordinated by a volunteer administrative procedure, carrying out information tasks and coordination of services. Sometimes, it can provide social worker services.
- The multidisciplinary model is characterized by a service integrated by a team of specialists, usually a lawyer, psychologist, and social worker, all recruited in time rushing duties completo.
Personnel working in these offices provide their free services, which are essentially the following:
- Information to victims about their rights in criminal matters.
- Guidance on social resources.
- Accompanying the victim, if requested, to police inquiries.
- Seeking or providing a psychological service directly.
- Improving coordination between the institutions involved.
Regarding the protocol for victim assistance and counseling (which follows the model of “individual assistance coordinated widespread), both are characterized by three phases:
- Reception / general approach.
- Specific legal information, followed by intervention.
- Monitoring and support throughout the criminal proceedings.
The order of application of the phases depends on the person’s condition; the order of application may change, and some of the stages may even be deleted if not necessary.