New project for helping children victims or witnesses of crimes

A specially equipped room for interrogation of children - victims or witnesses of crimes - was unveiled Friday at the Interior Ministry’s Institute of Psychology. The room is part of a project of the Childhood Without Tears Association funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), association representative Svetla Ivanova said.

The project also includes training of magistrates and psychologists aimed to acquaint them with appropriate techniques for interrogation of children, Ivanova said. She pointed out that the way in which interrogations are conducted is very important as children should be protected from secondary traumas.

The atmosphere in the room and the use of appropriate technique to conduct the interrogations will lead to greater reliability of children’s statements, Ivanova noted. She added that the room will be not be used by the Interior Ministry alone but also by institutions of the judicial system.

Psychology Institute Director Kalin Gaidarov said that several children have already been interrogated in the room, most of them victims of sexual advances. Gaidarov added that the perception of children is specific and the use of such rooms helps to work with them.

BTA