The Rights of Child Victims and Witnesses vs. the Rights of the Accused to a Fair Trial: The Case of Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2011
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa
Abstract
Child victims and witnesses are vulnerable and hence need special protection and support
services that are appropriate to their age and level of maturity. Special protection need to be
given with a view to prevent child victims and witnesses from further hardship and trauma that
may result due to their participation during criminal proceedings.
Accordingly, this thesis, first, explores the current normative responses in Ethiopia to protect the
rights of child victims and witnesses of crime, in the context of criminal proceedings. It then
discusses findings of the study in relation to legal and policy gaps in the current framework(s),
violations to the child victims' and witnesses' right to privacy, low responses to their best
interests, inadequate legal and psycho-social support services, inadequate procedures to seek
redress for the harm they have suffered. Using semi-structured interviews with the judiciary and
prosecution offices, and analyzing judicial deCisions, the thesis further discusses key challenges
that face child victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings.
The thesis argues that, child victim-witness sensitive criminal proceedings provide more
effective means of respect for the rights of child victims and witnesses. Child victim-witness
friendly procedures also serve as an instrument to bring the offender before the justice for the
crimes committed against children.
The thesis concludes that, in Ethiopia, the existing normative framework(s) to protect the rightsof child victims and witnesses needs legal and policy reforms with a view to better address the
problems of child victims and witnesses during criminal proceedings. In specific terms,
comprehensive legal schemes must be adopted by the Government to better address problems of
child victims and witnesses.