The first friendly room for conducting interviews with child witnesses of crimes has been created in Turkmenistan
The first friendly children's room for conducting investigative actions with young witnesses of crimes or victims, opened on Tuesday in Ashgabat in the police department of the Kopetdag district. The creation of a special space for children in the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is used in international practice to ensure a safe and not frightening environment for them and a sparing psychological state.
The social project is aimed at strengthening special measures for the protection of children. It is implemented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan with the support of UNICEF – the International Children's Aid Fund.
The room will become a place for children where they will feel protected during the investigative processes, and their psyche will be less traumatized. The child-friendly room is equipped with a modern video and sound system, which will eliminate unnecessary repeated interrogations and will contribute to obtaining more reliable evidence at the stage of preliminary investigation. The introduction of information and communication technologies will strengthen the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of child victims and witnesses of crimes.
"The Government of the country is taking measures aimed at creating a favorable and protective atmosphere for child victims and witnesses of crimes at all stages of criminal justice. The efforts of the investigators involved in conducting interviews of child victims and witnesses of crimes are aimed at applying the most benevolent procedures in conducting investigations in everyday practice," said Geldimyrat Haldurdiyev, Head of the Department of Law and International Relations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan.
UNICEF representative Mohammad Fayyazi, in turn, noted that the trauma received by children during the commission of crimes can have the most serious consequences for them and have a significant impact on the process of growing up and development. In this regard, it is very important that comprehensive protection measures for child victims and witnesses of crimes be provided at the stage of pre-trial proceedings. This contributes to their speedy return to normal life, the international expert noted.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan and UNICEF intend to continue cooperation to further strengthen the legislative framework and strengthen special legal protection measures for child victims and witnesses of crimes.
Within the framework of the project, it is also planned to carry out regular activities to increase the capacity of investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the districts and regions of the country, as well as to develop methodological recommendations for working with the cases of children in contact with the law.
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