NCJ Number
224872
Date Published
December 2006
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Guidelines created by the United Nations to ensure that the laws and rules in any given country fully protect the rights of child victims and witnesses of crime are presented.
Abstract
United Nations guidelines on justice in matters involving child victims and witnesses of crime include: (1) child victims and witnesses should be treated in a caring and sensitive way throughout the justice process; (2) every child should be treated as an individual with his/her own needs, wishes, and feelings; (3) people who investigate a crime should spend only the amount of time with the child that is necessary to obtain information on what happened; (4) people who interview a child victim or witness should be specially trained so that they ask questions correctly and in a respectful way; and (5) everyone who has contact with child victims or witnesses should consider the child’s needs, thoughts, and feelings. They should talk to the child in a place where the child feels comfortable and safe as well as talk in a language that the child uses and understands. In addition to the above guidelines, child victims and witnesses of crime have the right to be protected from discrimination, the right to be informed, the right to be heard and express views and concerns, the right to effective assistance, the right to privacy, the right to be protected from hardship during the justice process, the right to safety, the right to reparation, and the right to special preventive measures.