How to create a safe environment for children during investigative actions?

These and other questions were answered thanks to the training “Protection of the Rights of Children Victims of Violence”, conducted at the initiative of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights for employees of the Main Police Department in the Chernihiv region.

The training trainer was Lyudmila Hrytsenko – lawyer, national expert of the Council of Europe Projects, lecturer at the Higher School of Advocacy of the Ukrainian National Academy of Law, trainer of the training group “AS”, trainer of the Training Center for Prosecutors of Ukraine, expert of the NGO VGC “Volonter”.

Guaranteeing the safety of children during criminal proceedings is an urgent issue that requires immediate resolution.

Children, as the most vulnerable category of the population, need special protection and attention from the state and society. Currently, the main task of the government during the investigation of criminal proceedings involving minors is to create all the conditions not only for their physical safety, but also for a psychological comfort zone.

The problem of involving children in the criminal process is relevant and requires an urgent solution, because the child’s psyche perceives events in the outside world in a completely different way and reacts especially sensitively to situations that can traumatize them. This training helped to regulate the understanding that the psychological characteristics of minors and underage participants in the investigative process are a guarantee of effective justice.

Together with the participants of the event, namely representatives of juvenile prevention, investigators, investigators and specialists in operational and detective work, we focused our communication on two basic topics:

– Child-friendly approaches and spaces as elements of a child-friendly justice system;

– Green rooms as child-friendly spaces and the Green Room Methodology;

While considering the main aspects, we identified and dealt with the principles of child-friendly justice in real cases:

1. The principle of child participation;

2. The principle of observing the best interests of the child;

3. The principle of respect for the dignity of the child;

4. The principle of non-discrimination;

5. The principle of the rule of law;

It is important to realize the fact that children are not just witnesses or victims, children are full participants in the process, and they also deserve support and protection of their own interests. And only by working together can we create an environment where they feel protected and their rights are respected.