Family and friends who suffer emotionally but not physically are known as what?

• A. Primary Victims
• B. Secondary Victims
• C. Witnesses
• D. Perpetrators

Answer: (B)

In crime victimology, harm from a crime can extend beyond the person who is directly harmed. The person who experiences direct harm is the primary victim. Family and friends who suffer emotionally as a result, even though they themselves are not physically harmed, are known as secondary victims. Their distress comes from the impact of the crime on someone they care about, or from the wider aftermath they witness or endure, not from direct physical injury. This distinguishes them from witnesses (those who observe the crime) and perpetrators (the ones who commit the crime). Therefore, the described group is secondary victims.