When dealing with victims the actions of the Commission shall be guided by the following principles:
| (a) |
Victims shall be treated with compassion and respect for their dignity; |
| (b) |
victims shall be treated equally and without discrimination of any kind, including race, colour, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, language, religion, nationality, political or other opinion, cultural beliefs or practices, property, birth or family status, ethnic or social origin or disability; |
| (c) |
procedures for dealing with applications by victims shall be expeditious, fair, inexpensive and accessible; |
| (d) |
victims shall be informed through the press and any other medium of their rights in seeking redress through the Commission, including information of— |
| (i) |
the role of the Commission and the scope of its activities; |
| (ii) |
the right of victims to have their views and submissions presented and considered at appropriate stages of the inquiry; |
| (e) |
appropriate measures shall be taken in order to minimize inconvenience to victims and, when necessary, to protect their privacy, to ensure their safety as well as that of their families and of witnesses testifying on their behalf, and to protect them from intimidation; |
| (f) |
appropriate measures shall be taken to allow victims to communicate in the language of their choice; |
| (g) |
informal mechanisms for the resolution of disputes, including mediation, arbitration and any procedure provided for by customary law and practice shall be applied, where appropriate, to facilitate reconciliation and redress for victims. |
[Date of commencement of section 11: 10 April 1996]
Contingency Fees Act, 1997
