Child as a Witness

The campaign "Your Honour I have the right not to be scared" was launched on 5th October 2010 in Shumen during the working meeting of SAPI and partners. The participants were leading NGOs in the country, municipalities who are partners of the organization in the field of social services and different professionals. The launching event gave opportunity to disseminate information about key massage of the campaign to large professional auditory and to activate their involvement in improvement of practice of child friendly participation in legal procedures.

The Agreements between the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention and the Ministry of Justice as well as the General Prosecutor’s Office in the field of protection within the justice system of children victims or witnesses of violence were signed in October 2010. The Agreements confirm the willingness of state institutions to cooperate with non-governmental institutions to promote and ensure the best interest of the child within the justice system of the Republic of Moldova.

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".

On 3rd March 2010 the campaign was officially inaugurated by the Minister of Justice, Children's Rights Ombudsman and Nobody's Children Foundation's director.

Activities of this year's campaign will be conducted under the theme "I will be interviewed", putting emphasis on the child's subjectivity and its right to special protection in difficult situations occurring during of legal procedures.