CALL FOR AUDIO VISUAL STATEMENTS FOR CHILDREN

CCNTV6

There is a call for audio-visual statements to be used for children who are witnesses in sexual abuse cases.   It's one of the recommendations by Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds, who expresses concern over what she is seeing in the court system and by extension, the country.   Alicia Boucher has the details.

Transcript

00:00Children are no longer safe in some of the spaces where they once were from

00:04crimes like sexual abuse. So says Justice Lisa Ramsemer Heinz who

00:09indicates that this particular crime is happening to very young children. She

00:13recalls a case where the child was seven and when examined by doctors the abuse

00:18which had been happening since the child was age four had occurred about three

00:22days prior to the examination. In another instance a man was charged and granted

00:28bail for the abuse of one daughter only to sexually abuse his three other

00:33daughters. All four girls were assaulted when they were pre-pubescent. In one

00:40instance the child the offense took place while the child was at home in her

00:44bed. In two the girls were in church engaged in what we full gospel people

00:51say ministry. So too was the offender. The judge says to deter potential

00:57perpetrators there must be successful investigations, prosecution and

01:01convictions and she notes that child witnesses are very vulnerable. She's not

01:06pleased with what she is seeing on the witness stand and she's suggesting

01:10continuous interdisciplinary training for all who have to interface with these

01:14witnesses such as prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, doctors, police officers

01:20and caseworkers. How you treat with a child who's making a report may set the

01:24tone for a prosecution that collapses. I would like to suggest the use of audio

01:29video equipment to record the statements of all child victims. That could lead to

01:35more successful applications under section 29 of a JIPA which allows the

01:41statement to be tendered in evidence so that you don't have to re-traumatize a

01:46vulnerable witness with what takes place in a criminal courtroom. Further to that

01:50she says a video recording would be more beneficial than a poorly constructed

01:55written statement in cases where the witness cannot testify. The judge says

02:00there was one such scenario where the ten-year-old witness was suicidal. I also

02:05suggest the use of anatomically correct dolls which a child victim can use as an

02:09aid in the recording of that statement. She also suggests that the

02:14examining doctors get medical legal training. Justice Ramsemer Heinz states

02:19that it is also important that the medical reports are easy to read as this

02:24is what police officers, the DPP and even the defense attorneys may rely on. The

02:29judge is also suggesting that a courtroom be rearranged to be less

02:33intimidating for vulnerable children. Example having seating at the same level

02:38and removing the robes. Psychologist Dr. Khadija Khan says adverse childhood

02:44experiences commonly referred to as ACEs have a serious impact on the

02:49development of children. If you are someone who has had at least four types

02:53of ACEs that is associated with a 400% increase in your risk for depression and

02:59a 1,200% in your increased risk for suicide. Dr. Khan calls for a trauma

03:07informed approach to treating with children. Inadequate resources are also

03:12said to be a major problem affecting the child protection system. There is a

03:16call for early detection, community awareness and education and preventative

03:21programs to help prevent children from becoming victims. This formed part of a

03:26panel discussion held by the University of the West Indies and the Judicial

03:30Education Institute of TNT on bridging the gaps in child protection.

03:35Alicia Boucher TV6 News

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