Children’s Participation in Justice Processes

As shown in Table 2.5, over 90% of respondents viewed the age of the child (93.1%), the ability of the child to understand the situation (93.1%), and the ability of the child to communicate (92.2%) as important factors. [...] For example, 97% of respondents said that the preferences of children 16 years of age or older should receive heavy weight, compared to 91.9% of children aged 14 to 15, 61.9% of children aged 10 to 13, 17.3% of 6 to 9-year-olds, and 5.2% of children under the age of 6. Respondents were more likely to report that the preferences of children aged 6 to 9 or children under the age of 6 be given light [...] None of the lawyers said they frequently use the child’s testimony as the means to present the views of the child. [...] Overall, for both types of proceedings, the older the child, the higher the number of meetings and the longer the meeting. [...] According to the respondents, the best mechanisms to enable children to voice their views are legal representation for the child and assessment reports, and these are the mechanisms that respondents reported are used the most in their jurisdictions.