Towards a Child-friendly justice system in the EU: gaps and opportunities from the professionals’ perspectives

• In Event: Toward Victim-Centered Justice in Cases of Sexual and Child Victimization

Abstract

The CHILD – Towards a CHILD-friendly legal Order for Fair Justice Provision is a EU-funded project aimed at improving the judicial system for child victims of violence, implemented in 9 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain). Based on the work developed in the first year of this project, the proposed presentation aims to critically assess the implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU on victims' rights, highlighting key structural challenges and best practices in safeguarding children's rights and protection within the criminal justice process. Data collection, including focus groups and expert interviews, with more than 120 professionals from the 9 countries revealed several systemic issues in providing an effective child-friendly justice system. Findings indicate that there is a significant gap in data collection concerning child victimisation, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of the issue, encompassing both primary and secondary victimisation. Then, while legal frameworks exist to protect child, their practical application faces critical shortcomings. The lack of specialised child-friendly judicial structures and the absence of adequately trained professionals impact its effectiveness. Despite the existence of protocols for forensic interviews, there are procedural inconsistencies, a lack of specialised training for professionals implementing these interviews and some judicial resistance to be supported by other staff during these interviews. Several practices were identified where children were subjected to multiple and repeated hearings, increasing revictimisation. The outcomes highlight the potential for improvement in the justice system, with the urgent need for coordinated strategies to improve judicial procedures. Despite some progress, the justice systems remain far from being fully adapted to the specific needs of child victims. This presentation will explore key recommendations for structural and policy changes to create a child-friendly justice system that effectively upholds children’s rights and ensures their protection.

Authors

• Cátia Pontedeira, University of Maia/ CIEG - Center for Gender Studies/University of Minho & UMAR

• Nicholas Spetsidis, Union of Women Associations of Heraklion