International projects
Developing statement analysis standards to fight CAE: A victim centered approach
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.07.00 |
Social sciences |
Criminology and social work |
|
| 6.05.02 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Theoretical and applied linguistics |
| 6.10.00 |
Humanities |
Philosophy |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S160 |
Social sciences |
Criminology |
| S262 |
Social sciences |
Development psychology |
| S264 |
Social sciences |
Applied and experimental psychology |
| H125 |
Humanities |
Philosophical anthropology |
| H361 |
Humanities |
Neurolinguistics |
Secondary victimization, traumatization, language, children, crime
Researchers (5)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
VERBUM SAT: Developing Forensic Statement Analysis Standards to Fight CAE: A Victim-Centred Approach is an ambitious, interdisciplinary international project. Its main goal is to provide an innovative way of tackling secondary victimization of victims of exploitation and abuse by providing a novel method for acquiring relevant forensic evidence and equipping professionals in the field of criminal investigative to efficiently use such a tool in everyday practice.
Significance for science
In recent years, especially after ratifying the Istanbul Convention1 by majority of European countries, the focus of improvements of investigation procedures and capacities has turned to the area of crimes against vulnerable groups (female, children, handicapped etc.), such as Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Child Abuse and Exploitation, Domestic Violence etc. Particularly, as one of the main issues concerning improvements, the proper treatment and protection of victims is recognized. One of the most common and critical problems referring to victims, which needs to be minimized, is the issue of secondary or repeated victimization, which regularly takes place during standard criminal proceedings. The need for targeting and overriding this problem is emphasized by the EU “Victims’ Rights Directive”.
In line with the above mentioned premise, a new approach in child victim interviewing is being developed and implemented, based on the imperative that the victim must be interviewed only once during the whole procedure and not repeatedly, which is the rule in “traditional” procedures.
The aim of VERBUM_SAT Project was to develop a methodology for forensic analysis of written statement and establish standards for cases of Child Abuse and Exploitation (CAE) relying on scientific, psycholinguistic basis. Forensic Statement Analysis methodology (FSA) is intended to be “victim centered”, i.e., to entirely fulfil above-described requirements, and to include other advantages useful for criminal procedure efficiency and human rights’ protection. By acquiring the victims’ statement in a written form, at the beginning of the process, victim gets protected from repeatedly questioning by different criminal justice and other bodies included in the procedure, minimizing the risk of secondary victimization i.e., multiple traumatization due to recall and reliving of the unpleasant event. The scientific based, linguistic and psychological methodology provides an extremely high level of accuracy in analysing the truth of every segment of the statement, providing important information for the investigation, and resolving one of the key dilemmas, already in the investigating phase of the process. At the same time, by using this type of analysis, real victims get protected, from the beginning, in a very subtle way, from open distrust frequently expressed by the investigating bodies, as well as accused persons, in case of false accusation. Beside above-mentioned advantages, implementation of this methodology in the criminal procedure system, together with appropriate marketing, contributes to prevention of CAE and other related criminal acts (e.g., Sexual and Gender Based Violence – SGBV), because it discourages both perpetrators and false accusers.
Significance for the country
Pomen projekta za razvoj Slovenije v angleškem jeziku VERBUM SAT has followed the development of current law enforcement procedures, legal proceedings and social service arrangementsbut in particular followed the ever-growing need across these domains to establish an approach built upon victim's rights and well-being while maintaining the efficiency of instituted good practices. This is especially true for children who are summoned to disclose acts of abuse and exploitation, which often lead to undue stress and confusion for the latter. In this respect, the project pursued the objectives and directions set forth in the European Convention on the Exercise of the Children's Rights, and the Directives 2011/93/EU, 2011/92/EU, 2011/93/EU and 2012/29/EU, all of which aim to improve established practices that potentially contribute to retraumatisation of the children. At the time of the project activities, the objectives and directions were not fully implemented in Slovenia, which makes the results, activities and training provided by the project all the more important.
The project work therefore aimed to establish a coordinated contribution to law enforcement through the development of an appropriate victim centered approach that is able to address the specific needs and provide protections required by child victims of abuse and exploitation. The project proposed a thoroughly non-invasive method in the form a forensic statement analysis, which avoids the need for repeated interviews and sessions with children. The object of investigation will be reduced to the initial statement given by the victim. This will remove the victims from the whole process and offer an objective technique to obtain relevant information needed to resolve the forensic and legal process in question.
In order to achieve these objectives, project activities will be primarily directed towards the implementation of Forensic Statement Analysis (FSA) by training law enforcement experts in this innovative forensic tool specialized in combating CAE.
The main project objectives were multifaceted:
- development of forensic statement analysis tool
- develop a forensic method and protocol for reduction of secondary victimization
- train law enforcement professionals in FSA for identification of child victims of abuse and exploitation
- promote good practices and sharing experience
