For the Victims: Six Decades of Theo van Boven's Human Rights Work

ABSTRACT: Victims have mostly been of secondary importance in the human rights work of the United Nations (UN). For Dutch human rights expert Theo van Boven, the orientation towards the victim has been a constant factor in his work from the 1960s onwards. Van Boven has given prominence to the victims of human rights violations in a series of UN functions and contributed significantly to making the naming of names (of countries and individuals) an accepted UN practice. His victim orientation took shape in three ways: by focusing UN attention on individual victims, by giving victims a voice in UN forums, and by advocating for the right to reparation and restoration.