Campaign “Much honored court, I have the right not to be scared!” launched

The National Center for Child Abuse Prevention has launched the campaign “Much honored court, I have the right not to be scared!” that is intended for prosecution officers, prosecutors and judges. The aim of the campaign is to improve the attitudes and practices of the professionals towards children who take part in legal proceedings as witnesses or victims of abuse and violence, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the Center. “A child who is a victim of abuse or negligence experiences a lot of negative emotions in a system that should actually protect him. The child is hurt again when he has new negative emotions because he fears the representatives of the law enforcement bodies and the abuser who is present in the courtroom,” said the Center’s head Daniela Samboteanu. Within the campaign, the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention will analyze the national legislation and formulate recommendations for improving it in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international documents. There will be distributed informative materials designed to prepare the child-witness and his family for giving testimony in court. The brochures will be spread through the agency of the prosecution officers, prosecutors, psychologists and social workers involved in the given cases. The campaign “Much honored court, I have the right not to be scared!” is carried out by the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor’s Office, with support from the US Agency for International Development, within the Academy for Educational Development’s Moldova Civil Society Strengthening Program.