EU report vows to make justice systems child-friendly

The European Union (EU) Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on Wednesday published a report showing that children involved in court proceedings often feel scared, ignored, and ill-informed.

The report, entitled "Child-friendly justice: perspectives and experiences of children involved in judicial proceedings", focused on the perspectives of children on factors that impede their full participation and a number of promising practices already in use in the bloc's member states as well.

According to FRA, some 2.5 million children participate in judicial proceedings across the EU each year, affected by parental divorce or as victims of, or witnesses to crime and the treatment of children in justice systems remains a concern.

In this report, FRA investigated to what extent children's rights to be heard, to be informed, to be protected, and to non-discrimination are fulfilled in practice.

FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty said, "Both policymakers and practitioners have to ensure that the anxieties of children involved in court proceedings are taken seriously and kept to a minimum."

The report is based on interviews with 392 children in nine member states, namely Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain and Britain. Endit