Speaking for Victims: Veteran Advocate Outlines 2026 Vision for Victim-Centred Justice

Professional counselling environment where victim-centred justice support services are provided with dignity and care

Professional victim support environments prioritise dignity and restoration over institutional efficiency

Justice system courtroom representing victim-centred approach where dignity and restoration are prioritised

Modern justice systems must measure success by victim restoration, not just case efficiency

Metropolitan Police Scotland Yard, where Chukwudum Ikeazor served 30 years and developed victim support expertise

Scotland Yard, where Chukwudum Ikeazor developed expertise in victim-centered justice over 30 years

Restoration and healing imagery representing victim-centred justice approach that prioritizes dignity over efficiency

Victim-centred justice focuses on restoration and healing, not just processing cases through systems

Former Scotland Yard detective reveals how justice systems designed for institutional efficiency re-traumatize those they claim to serve.

Justice systems designed around institutional convenience rather than victim dignity don't just fail victims—they re-traumatize them. That's not a design flaw. That's a design choice.”

— Chukwudum Ikeazor, Anne Frank Award Recipient & Former Scotland Yard

LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM, December 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- While policy makers debate abstract criminal justice reforms, those directly impacted by crime remain largely unheard in the conversations shaping their futures. Chukwudum Ikeazor, whose motto "Speaking for the victims, Fighting for the forgotten" emerged from 30 years of frontline police work and victim advocacy, argues that 2026 must be the year victim voices move from periphery to centre of justice reform.

"The ultimate measure of any justice system isn't its efficiency or even its fairness, it is whether victims feel heard, protected, and restored," states Ikeazor, Anne Frank Moral Courage Award recipient and strategic advisor now accessible through http://chukwudum.org. "We've built elaborate systems around victims while rarely asking what they actually need."

Having served two decades with the Metropolitan Police and worked across continents, Ikeazor brings uncommon credibility: someone who has investigated serious crimes, supported countless victims through traumatic processes, and later advised organisations on creating genuinely victim-centred approaches.

Recent studies reveal troubling gaps: victims report feeling re-traumatised by systems meant to help them, abandoned during lengthy proceedings, and unsupported after verdicts are reached. Ikeazor identifies these failures as structural, not accidental.

"The current approach asks victims to fit into processes designed for institutional convenience," Ikeazor explains. "Genuine victim-centredness requires reversing that designing processes around victim wellbeing, dignity, and actual needs. This isn't soft sentiment; it's strategic effectiveness. Victims who feel supported engage better with investigations, testimony holds up stronger, and communities rebuild trust in justice itself."

His comprehensive victim support framework addresses three critical phases often neglected:
Immediate Crisis Response: Trauma-informed support from first contact
Process Navigation: Active guidance through complex legal proceedings
Post-Resolution Support: Continued care regardless of case outcome

"As we enter 2026, progressive organisations from police forces to victim support charities to legal practices are seeking guidance on truly centring victims," Ikeazor observes. "The question isn't whether victim-centred justice is ideal; it's how to systematically implement it in ways that serve both justice and healing."

Organisations serious about victim advocacy are already engaging strategic guidance on transforming rhetoric into operational reality. The New Year offers a powerful symbolic moment: will justice systems continue speaking about victims, or finally learn to listen?

About Chukwudum Ikeazor
Chukwudum Ikeazor's 30-year journey from war-torn Biafra to Scotland Yard to strategic advisor shapes his distinctive approach to justice reform and victim support. Recognised with the Anne Frank Moral Courage Award (UK), he combines operational police experience with deep understanding of trauma, community healing, and systemic change. His work spans victim advocacy, criminal justice consultancy, and institutional excellence. Operating internationally through http://chukwudum.org, Ikeazor advises police forces, victim support organisations, and community groups on building systems that genuinely serve those impacted by crime and wrongdoing.

For Strategic Consultation Inquiries:
Website: chukwudum.org
Email: Chukwudum@chukwudum.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikeazor/
Media Contact: Media@chukwudum.org

Chukwudum Ikeazor
Chukwudum Advisory Services
Media@chukwudum.org
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