The Scottish Government has said it wants to make Scotland the best place in the world for a child to grow up. It is an ambitious and welcome aim to make sure every child is given the best possible start in life.
In order to achieve this, the needs of young people must be placed at the heart of each and every system and policy. Yet the experience of children who are victims of serious crimes is in sharp contrast to this. As charity Children 1st notes, it is a "national scandal" when the process of going through a system designed for adults – enduring long waits, having to go to court, cross-examination – can be as traumatic for young victims as the original crime against them.
The need for reform has been acknowledged. Last year a judge-led review of the treatment of children in the justice system concluded Scotland is “significantly lagging behind” the rest of the world. Justice secretary Michael Matheson is considering ways to improve the system, including sparing children cross-examination.
It is undeniably a huge task, but the Barnahus model, which is now spreading outside the Nordic countries, provides an example of a child-friendly justice system which can be adapted to suit Scotland’s needs.
Our court system is clearly not the best place for a child. For far too long this has been the case. If we want to encourage child abuse victims to speak up, there is an urgent need for a supportive justice system to be put in place – not one which only adds to their trauma.
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