Each year, the Buro's Slachtofferhulp (Victim Support Agencies) approach some 115,000 victims of crime, and about 70% accept the offer of assistance. In relative terms, far fewer people from ethnic minorities seem to make use of the assistance than others. The Ministry of Justice has asked the Willem Pompe Penology Institute of the University of Utrecht to investigate whether they are in fact under-represented and, if so, explain why. This main question has been investigated on the basis of five sub-questions: (1) measured in terms of their proportion of the population, are people from ethnic minorities victims of crime as often as the indigenous residents ?; (2) do people from ethnic minorities report to the police as often ?; (3) do the police refer victims from ethnic minorities as often ?; (4) are victims from ethnic minorities approached by Slachtofferhulp as often ?; and (5) do victims from ethnic minorities have the same need for assistance or is Slachtofferhulp needed less often in their case ? The study was conducted at police stations in six cities. Field work was conducted in five large city neighbourhoods with a high proportion of residents from ethnic minorities, and, as a random check, in one provincial town. (A)
Abstract