The child's voice in judicial decisions
Child's participation in protective and family justice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23882/rmd.26319Keywords:
child hearing, child participation, court decision, family justice, protective justiceAbstract
The present study addressed the framework of children's participation in protective and family justice in Portugal. We focused on how the concepts of the child's best interests and maturity are understood and assessed by the court, on how the child's opinion is considered in the judicial decision and on the practices adopted to guarantee the child's free expression. The information obtained in semi-structured interviews with 5 judges and 3 public prosecutors working in a family and youth court was analysed with content analysis. Results showed that, when considering the child's opinion, those concepts are central, and that the type of judicial proceeding for hearing the child is an important factor in weighing their opinion; the practices adopted by professionals during the hearing aim to positively influence children's experiences and, consequently, promote better judicial decisions. Study limitations and related issues are discussed, pointing to further research in those specific areas of justice. This study contributes to clarify the implementation of Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Portuguese family and youth justice.
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