RESUMO
In Chile, Law 21.057 established in 2019 that, for criminal cases in which there is a child or adolescent victim of a sexual or other serious crime, professionals who take the evidence from the victim during the investigative interview and court testimony are required to be specially trained as interviewers and intermediaries, respectively. Although Chile has been progressively moving into a child-friendly justice system, the expertise and training on how to address victims who have particular communicative, emotional, cultural, or social needs have been rather limited. This study explores the challenges experienced by investigative interviewers and intermediaries with child victims from priority groups, through the lens of their instructors. The term "priority groups" encompasses people who require special protection because of a condition that puts them at a disadvantage. Using purposive sampling, 12 of the most experienced instructors were recruited, and five semi-structured group interviews were conducted remotely. Through thematic data analysis, eight categories of challenges were found. First, the study identified particular difficulties experienced by professionals with six groups of children and adolescents who are here called priority victims or members of priority groups: (1.1) preschool children, (1.2) victims with neurodevelopmental disorders, (1.3) victims with psychiatric disorders, (1.4) reluctant victims, (1.5) Indigenous and migrant victims, and (1.6) victims in complex contexts/crimes. Secondly, the analysis identified cross-cutting challenges for the professionals related to (2.1) difficulties remaining after their initial training, and (2.2) the unavailability of background information about the victims before the proceedings. The article emphasizes the need to strengthen advanced competences and training content regarding priority groups, to reinforce initial skills, and to refine guidelines to assess and address these victims adequately, in order to facilitate their access to justice.
RESUMO
Os esforços para reduzir o trauma num sistema forense contencioso são dificultados pela alegação de que o processo por abuso sexual não pode ser realizado sem que se observem os direitos do pretenso perpetrador. Inquirir uma criança-testemunha é uma tarefa muito especializada; os promotores e o advogado de defesa não estão treinados nestes métodos. Apesar disso, os serviços de intermediação para crianças-testemunhas num tribunal são importantes para reduzir o trauma experimentado pela criança. Este artigo objetiva destacar que os crimes contra crianças e os subseqüentes procedimentos criminais nos quais se exige que a criança participe como testemunha ocorrem com suficiente freqüência para que se garantam serviços de intermediação a todas as crianças-testemunhas. Ele destaca as implicações práticas a fim de melhorar o processo corrente de intermediação, em nível regional, provincial e nacional. Primeiramente, o artigo faz uma reflexão sobre os serviços de intermediação oferecidos a crianças-testemunhas em algumas áreas dos subúrbios da região oeste de Johannesburgo; em segundo lugar, discute experiências práticas e literatura de apoio, assim como a experiência da Bethany House com o projeto Child in Crisis Foundation (SA).
Efforts to reduce the trauma in an adversarial court system are complicated by the arguments that the prosecution of sexual abuse cannot take place in disregard of the rights of the alleged perpetrator. The questioning of a child witness is a very specialised task, and the prosecutors and defence counsel are not trained in these methods. Therefore, intermediary services to the child witness in court are important to reduce the trauma experienced by the child. This article aims to highlight that crimes against children and the subsequent criminal proceedings where the child is required to testify as a witness occurs frequently enough to warrant intermediary services to all child witnesses. Practical implications will be highlighted in order to improve the current intermediary process, regionally, provincially and nationally. Firstly, it will reflect on the intermediary services provided for child witnesses in some areas in the western suburbs of Johannesburg; secondly, it will discuss practical experiences and supportive literature, as well as the Bethany House's experience with the project Child in Crisis Foundation (SA).
Los esfuerzos por reducir el trauma en un sistema judicial contradictorio se ven complicados por la discusión acerca de que un juicio por abuso sexual no puede llevarse a cabo sin tener en cuenta los derechos del supuesto perpetrador. El interrogatorio de un testigo menor de edad es una tarea muy especializada, que ni fiscales ni defensores están preparados para realizar. Por eso, es importante la presencia de los servicios de mediación para los testigos menores de edad ante los tribunales, para reducir el trauma experimentado por el niño. Este artículo aspira a destacar que los crímenes contra los niños y niñas y los procedimientos penales subsiguientes en los que el niño debe atestiguar son lo suficientemente frecuentes como para requerir los servicios de mediación para todos los testigos menores de edad. Se señalarán las implicancias prácticas para mejorar el proceso de mediación actual, en un nivel regional, provincial y nacional.