At the Crossroads: Exploring changes to criminal justice proceedings when they intersect with child protection proceedings in cases involving child victims of violence
At the Crossroads is a legal briefing which explores the considerations for when criminal justice proceedings intersect with child protection proceedings in cases, particularly when they involve child victims of violence. Experience shows that there is a need for close collaboration among stakeholders and professionals involved in both child protection and criminal justice proceedings in order to identify opportunities for both immediate and more long-term change.
This publication supports stakeholders to achieve this by providing an overview of different key aspects regarding criminal proceedings of child victims across Europe. It concludes that there is a need for and a benefit of specialized skills and settings for child victims in the criminal justice process, and that there is also a need for more active case management.
At the Crossroads is the result of an exchange of research, experience and knowledge in workshops and discussions undertaken during 2018 and 2019. It is a living document, open for external contributions.
A webinar introduces the publication.
About the author and presenter: Ms Rebecca O’Donnell is an Irish lawyer with extensive experience in EU legal and public affairs. Her areas of expertise include fundamental rights, child-friendly justice, child protection, asylum, migration and trafficking policies. She is co-founder of Child Circle, since 2014. She formerly worked in Save the Children EU Office as a senior child protection adviser and as a partner in the EU office of an international law firm.
The PROMISE Webinar Series is co-organised with Terre des Hommes, a partner of this project, as part of the ChildHub’s child protection webinar series