Brazilian national meeting will discuss experiences of special testimony of children and adolescents

17, May 2011 - As delicate as to talk about issues such as abuse and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, it is to hear victims and witnesses of these and other forms of violence. In an attempt to make the experience less traumatic and more human, over 150 judges, prosecutors, public defenders, attorneys and national experts will discuss the most effective methods for hearing children and adolescents who are victims or witnesses of crimes, during the first National Meeting on Experiences of Taking Special Testimony of Children and Adolescents in Brazilian courts.

The meeting begins on the National Day Against Child and Adolescents Abuse and Expoitation, celebrated on 18 May. The opening of the event will be made by the president of the Supreme Court and the National Council of Justice, minister Cezar Peluso, and the Queen Silvia of Sweden.

The event, sponsored by Childhood Brazil and the National Council of Justice in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will be held between 18 and 20 May in Brasilia. The aim is to exchange experiences of taking special testimony in course in Brazil and produce support for the preparation, monitoring and evaluation of social policies and training.

For the program coordinator for Childhood Brazil, Itamar Batista Gonçalves, the First National Meeting on Experiences of Taking Special Testimony of Children and Adolescents in Brazilian Courts is an opportunity to continue the discussions started in 2009 at the First International Symposium on Culture and Practices: Non-Revictimizing- Special Testimony of Children, which was followed by the National Conference on Special Testimony of Children and Adolescents and the Brazilian Justice System (2010). "At the meeting, the idea is to promote the exchange of information on alternative methods of hearing children and adolescents. We seek to subsidize the construction of a proposed method of hearing in Brazil," said Batista Gonçalves.

Besides exchanging experiences, participants will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Model Law on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime, developed by UNODC and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). According to the Programme Officer of the Unit for Governance and Justice of UNODC, Rodrigo Vitoria, the Model Law seeks to ensure that during the process of collecting evidence, the rights of children and adolescents who are victims or witnesses of crimes are guaranteed. "Every child or adolescent who needs to testify has, for example, the right to information, to participation, to protection, to affective assistance, to a companion. They are also entitled to be heard, to express their points of view and concerns about the process. The Model Law seeks to ensure these and other rights, without undermining the process of collecting evidence, "says Vitoria.

The First National Meeting on Experiences of Taking Special Testimony of Children and Adolescents in Brazilian Courts also counts on the partnership of the National Council of Public Prosecution (CNMP), the National Council of Public Defenders (Condega), the Brazilian Association of Judges, the Prosecutors Justice and Public Defenders of Children and Youth Association (ABMP), the Bar Association of Brazil (OAB), the Human Rights Secretariat (SDH) and Unicef.

Practice of non-revictimizing - Created in 2007, the Program of Non-Revictimizing Cultures and Practices: reflection and sharing of alternative methodologies to inquire children and adolescents in lawsuits, of Childohood Brazil, aims to produce and socialize academic knowledge and technical knowledge that may contribute to the integral protection of children and adolescent victims and witnesses of sexual violence.

Among the results of the initiative is the publication - Testimony fearless (?) - Non-Revictimizing Cultures and practices: mapping the experiences of taking special testimony of children and adolescents. The program also held an international symposium that, in 2009, brought together experts to share information about alternative models of taking testimony of children and adolescents victims and witnesses of sexual crimes.

In 2010, the issue was debated at a national conference held in partnership with the National Council of Justice. As one result of the colloquium, the NCJ adopted Recommendation No. 33, in which it suggested the creation of specialized services for hearing children and adolescents or witnesses of violence, according to the Model Law on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime (UNODC / UNICEF.)

Information:
First National Experiences of Taking Special Testimony of Children in the Brazilian Judiciary 
Date: 18 to 20 May 2011 
Opening: 18 May - Supreme Court, at 11:30 pm

Meeting:

19 May - 8 am to 7 pm, Royal Tulip Hotel, Brasília
20 May, 9 am to 12h30 pm, Royal Tulip Hotel, Brasília

Information: Rafaela Ceo  (61) 81337443

 

Email: com.depespecial.childhood @ gmail.com

Check the schedule

Source: Childhood and Brazil CNJ

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