An Explorative Study on the Compensation Scenario among the Victims of Scheduled Tribes

Abstract

In India, compensation for victims of various crimes is governed by a range of legal provisions and government schemes aimed at providing support and redressal to them. These compensation mechanisms vary depending on the type of crime, with specific schemes tailored for victims of crime, such as sexual assault, human trafficking, murder, rape and atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes etc. The compensation helps victims in transforming their lives while it also provides financial assistance, rehabilitation, and support services to the victims. The study's main aim is to identify the challenges and barriers faced by Scheduled Tribes in accessing and receiving compensation for crime victimization. A total 376 number of cases were registered during the year 2020 to 2022 in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh; 304 number of victims were interviewed for the study, and a total of 220 victims were received compensation. The census method was adopted for this research to cover the whole data for the in-depth study. The study found that out of the total respondents, 65 percent of the victims were received compensation amounts of up to 1,00,000 Rs, with the majority of these cases classified as simple hurt. While, 40 percent of the victims was received compensation within one year of the commission of crime. In addition, 60.7 percent of victims haven’t received compensation because of a lack of documents. The study will contribute valuable insights into the fields of criminology, victimology, social justice, and indigenous rights; providing a foundation for policy recommendations which aimed at addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by Scheduled Tribes in the context of victim compensation.