Indirect homicide victims: impacts, support received and coping strategies

Abstract

Brazil has recorded a high percentage of homicides and deaths due to legal intervention. This article is part of a qualitative multiple case study about indirect victims who lost relatives to homicide perpetraded by security agents and police officers in Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected in four individual interviews with family members of people killed by police officers and three family members of police officers who were victims of homicide, and then subjected to thematic analysis. The testimonies revealed the major impacts of the loss of a family member on the indirect victim’s health, such as intense mental suffering and the negative impacts on human occupations such as work, leisure, health care, and sleep. Institutional support is limited in the face of the traumatic experience, whereas activist groups and entities tied to human rights advocacy are of great help in overcoming the pain of loss, especially for those who have lost their family members to the police. Further research is needed about the gaps between public facilities and policies and the needs of indirect victims.