The factors of secondary victimization of the children that have experienced sexual abuse

Abstract

International obligations of the state foresee to protect children from any kind of abuse, including sexual and present assistance to the child who suffered it. However the child who has sufferd sexual abuse and got into justice system is apt to experience secondary victimization. The article aims to disclose factors of secondary victimization during criminal proceedings of the children who have experienced sexual abuse. Theorectical scientific literature and method of legal acts analysis is applied in the paper. Qualitative method was chosen for doing the research. Semi structured interview was selected as a tool for collecting data of the research. The data collected during the interview have been processed with the help of content analysis method. During empirical research there were identified factors that decrease secondary victimization of a child during criminal proceedings: organizing of child participation in pretrial investigation (establishing contact with a child, selecting favorable environment for a child, avoidance of confrontation with the suspect, organizing of medical expertise) and organizing of representation for a child (securing of participation of legitimate representatives, selection of a proper representative). There were also established factors that increase secondary victimization of a child during criminal proceedings: long pretrial investigation (duration of expertise and preparation of documents, coordination of actions of separate institutions, heavy work load of specialists) and organizing of a child interrogation (noncompliance to interrogate a child only once, use of child interrogation room only for preteens).