Child as a Witness

The second edition of the training "Child - witness with special needs. Practice of friendly interviewing of child witnesses” took place in September. Two-day training was addressed to interdisciplinary teams of judges, prosecutors and psychologists participating in interviewing minors and cooperating under a particular local court. The aim of the training was to enhance participants knowledge regarding child victims of crime and methods of interviewing minor witnesses, assisting child and the family in the course of intervention, as well as establishing a connection with a child who suffered from traumatic experience.

On 20th- 24th of September 2010 Dardedze  held a training for police officers from Latvia on the topic  "Child friendly interviewing". The training was held by an expert from the United Kingdom- Nigel King, who also met with the headquarters of State police to share the UK best practices in the child friendly interviewing and to promote changes in the attitudes and approaches of Latvian police.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted new guidelines on child-friendly justice aimed at European governments to improve children’s access to and treatment in all spheres of justice. Yet the guidelines seek to be more than a mere declaration of principles, and can be used more practically by steering the implementation of existing international treaties.

The report of the CURE project including the information on the situation of the child victims in the EU member states was recently launched. In the report may be found topics concerning the right to information, procedures of interviewing children in the EU member states, support for a child-victim etc.