The measure aims to humanize care for children who have been victims of sexual violence. The measure also includes a new space for hearings and reduces the number of hearings for victims.
The Ministry of Justice of Cape Verde will distribute 90 manuals with procedures for different public services to guide professionals in caring for child victims of sexual violence, announced Minister Joana Rosa.
The measure aims to create “a service focused on humanization“, with the aim of “protecting the child” and putting “the nearest justice, when they are in a vulnerable situation,” said the Minister of Justice, Joana Rosa, in Praia, at the ceremony that marked the beginning of the delivery of manuals. “We can make the children be heard in their own spaces and avoid being exposed to multiple audiences“he added.
The ceremony was attended by Lourença Tavares, president of the Association of Disadvantaged Children (Acrides), an entity that implements the Child Friendly Justice project. “I believe that the services that are part of the child care flow will receive the manuals and the call is for professionals to find this manual answers that can help the family, the child and the courts”, he pointed.
According to him, the tools complement each other to protect the child: “we have the audition room, we have the procedures manual that all professionals should useputting themselves in the place of the child victim or the desperate parents who often seek help,” he added.
The Minister of Justice added that the commission to combat gender violence and sexual exploitation will soon become operational.
In May, the Minister of Justice explained that the idea for the Child Friendly Justice project emerged during a visit to the United States of America and aims to reduce bureaucracy and exposure for victims. Do you still intend to give Multidisciplinary care by psychologists and doctors.creating all conditions for better protection of children.
The project was launched in November 2020 and was implemented by Acrides with funding of 340 thousand dollars (316.92 thousand euros) from the North American administration.
According to data from the Public Ministry of Cape Verde collected by Lusa, at the beginning of the current judicial year 2022/2023, 1,076 cases of sexual crimes were unsolved throughout the country, 321 of which related to sexual abuse of children, 57 involving sexual abuse abuse of minors between 14 and 16 years old, seven of exploitation of a minor for pornographic purposes and five of sexting (sending messages with sexual content) against minors.
Source: Observadora