Children in criminal judicial proceedings - comparative information on right to be heard and to express views

Here you can find comparative information on children in criminal judicial proceedings - comparative information on right to be heard and to express views for all the EU28 Member States on the basis of information collected from national and international databases. The data is available on e.g:

• Evidence that children involved in criminal judicial proceedings were satisfied with the way their right to be heard was respected;

• Statutory provision for the right of children to effectively participate in criminal proceedings, including by providing children who do not speak or understand the language of the procedure with the right to interpretation and translation;

• Availability of interpreters on request in criminal (juvenile) courts across the country;

• Legal obligation to ensure that child witnesses give evidence in the most favourable settings and under the most suitable conditions, having regard to their age, maturity and level of understanding and any communication difficulties they may have;

• Percentage of cases where the language spoken by the child differed from that spoken in court proceedings;

• Cases involving children for which interpretation was provided to a child involved in criminal judicial proceedings;

• Existence of an appropriate mechanism to ensure that child offenders are only interviewed in the presence of their parent, guardian or other appropriate adult.