Child as a Witness

The brochure “When a child is a victim of a crime” was published in polish language by the Nobody's Children Foundation in the frame of Childhood without Abuse Project. It is addressed to child witnesses' parents and caregivers. It explains parents' and caregiver’s rights as well as the rights of their children within court procedures, provides information about the interviewing procedures and how to support a child-victim or child-witness of a crime.

All citizens and organizations, especially those dealing with children's rights, are welcome to contribute to the consultation of European Commission's Communication on the Rights of the Child (2011-2014). The objective of the Communication is to further advance the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, first launched in 2006.

In June 2010 the Nobody's Children Foundation conducted training titled "Child - witness with special needs. Practice of friendly interviewing of child witnesses." 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, with particular reference to interviewing under art. 185 a and b of Code of Criminal Procedure (185a refers to minors below 15 - victims of sexual violence or family violence and 185 b refers to minors below 15 who witnessed sexual violence or other crime with a use of violence), assisting child and the family in the course of intervention, as well as establishing a connection with a child who suffered from traumatic experience.

The leaflet "You are a witness, you have rights" have been recently issued by the Nobody's Children Foundation in the frame of third stage of Polish raising awareness campaign "Child - Witness with Special Needs". It is directed toward children and youth and explains basic rights of children participating in the criminal investigation according to article 185a and b of the Code of Penal Procedure. With the decision of the Ministry of Justice the leaflet will be distributed to all children called to witness, together with the information on the date and place of the interview.
Printing of the leaflet was possible thanks to European Commission funded programme „Prevention of and Fight against Crime".