Monica is killed by her former neighbor. Her daughters are wounded. Her daughters are both primary and secondary victims True Or False?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: True
In legal and psychological contexts, Monica’s daughters can be considered both primary and secondary victims.
A primary victim is someone who is directly involved in and suffers harm from a traumatic event. In this case, Monica’s daughters were physically wounded by the same attacker who killed their mother. Their physical injuries place them as primary victims, since they directly experienced harm as a result of the violent act.
A secondary victim is someone who suffers emotional or psychological harm from witnessing or being closely connected to a traumatic event. Monica’s daughters likely witnessed the attack or experienced its immediate aftermath. The murder of a close family member, particularly a parent, creates intense psychological distress. If the daughters saw the attack or were present shortly after it, they would suffer emotional trauma in addition to their physical injuries.
Courts and psychological assessments often recognize individuals in such situations as both types of victims. In tort law, especially in jurisdictions like the UK, a person may be a secondary victim if they have a close tie of love and affection with the primary victim, are present at the event or its immediate aftermath, and suffer psychological injury as a result. Monica’s daughters meet all these criteria.
Furthermore, in victimology, children exposed to violence involving a parent are typically seen as enduring long-term psychological effects, including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attachment issues. Their dual status helps ensure access to legal rights, support services, and compensation for both the physical and psychological harm they suffer.
Thus, Monica’s daughters being labeled as both primary and secondary victims is accurate based on the circumstances of the violent incident and its impact.