A/74/148 accountability. In doing so, the authorities should avoid making their investigation or decisions exclusively dependent on the testimony of the victim. 57. At the same time, the consequent protective measures, legal processes and criminal sanctions should prioritize the rights and needs of the victims, including the best interests of the child. This means that the design and functioning of relevant protective and redress-orientated mechanisms must be victim-centred, responsive and accessible, including supported decision-making in circumstances where a victim’s capacity is compromised (CRPD/C/ESP/CO/1; and A/HRC/22/53, para. 27). Where appropriate and supported by free, genuine and informed consent, criminal, civil and administrative investigations and proceedings relating to allegations of domestic violence can be complemented, but not replaced, by measures of mediation, reconciliation and restorative justice. 58 58. In all cases, however, the primary objective of any decision, measure or sanction taken in response to domestic violence must be: (a) To prevent further abuse on the part of the same or other likely perpetrators; (b) To prevent re-traumatization or abuse of victims of domestic violence through subsequent procedures, measures and sanctions; (c) To provide victims with rehabilitation and redress, including just compensation and the means, support and protection require d to establish and sustain a dignified and protected life without domestic violence or other abuse in the long term. V. Conclusions 59. On the basis of the preceding observations and considerations, and informed by broad stakeholder consultations, the Special Rapporteur, to the best of his personal judgment and conviction, has drawn the conclusions set out below. 60. Every day, millions of people across the world are exposed to domestic violence in intimate relationships, within the home and in communal or Staterun settings replacing the family home. Children in particular are vulnerable to experiencing or witnessing domestic violence. Among adults, including older people, domestic violence disproportionately affects women. In terms of both scale and severity, domestic violence is one of the predominant sources of humiliation, violence and death worldwide, and claims a similar number of lives as armed conflict. 61. Like war, domestic violence is a veritable scourge of humanity, traumatizing countless individuals, in particular women and children, on a daily basis and brutalizing human society for generations to come. Unlike war, however, domestic violence is still widely considered to be a “private matter”, a social taboo to be dealt with at the discretion of the perpetrator or the family in the perceived legal “black hole” of the home. As long as a substantial part of the world’s population is oppressed, abused and even murdered by their own family members or within their homes, the promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will remain a far cry from reality. Consequently, domestic violence must be regarded as a human rights issue of inherently public concern. __________________ 58 18/23 IARS et al, “Restorative Justice and Domestic Violence: A Guide for Practitioners” (January 2016). 19-11892