Rethinking Victims: Definition, Rights, Accountability, and Myths
In this article, I-Min Hsiao, founder of Victim Support Taiwan (VST), outlines four core principles: to stand with victims is to stand with justice; victim rights are universal and inalienable; the state bears responsibility for ensuring justice; and victims have agency. The article adopts a rights-based perspective to examine victim protection, state accountability, and justice, challenging the “ideal victim” myth. It emphasizes that victims are not passive recipients of protection, but active participants in the pursuit of justice, and invites partners to join in advancing victim rights together.