Building a Human Rights-Based Framework for Victim Protection: Integrating International Human Rights Standards and Access to Justice

Abstract

The protection of victims of human trafficking, violence, discrimination, and harassment continues to face significant normative and practical challenges. Although international human rights instruments establish states' obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill victims' rights, a considerable gap remains between international standards and their implementation at the national level. This gap often limits victims' access to justice, effective remedies, and comprehensive protection mechanisms. This paper aims to develop a human rights-based framework for victim protection by integrating international human rights standards with the principle of access to justice as the foundation of victim-centered protection. The study employs a normative legal research method using statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches through the analysis of international legal instruments, scholarly literature, and relevant legal doctrines. The findings indicate that the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) strengthens victim protection by promoting the principles of non-discrimination, participation, accountability, empowerment, and the rule of law. Furthermore, the integration of international human rights standards into national legal and policy frameworks enhances victims' access to justice, effective remedies, restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition. This study proposes a conceptual framework that may serve as a reference for developing comprehensive and victim-centered protection policies consistent with international human rights standards while reinforcing states' obligations to ensure meaningful access to justice for all victims.