The JudEx+: Professional capacity development programme on child-friendly communication in judicial proceedings in cases of sexual violence against children promotes child-friendly judicial proceedings encouraging professionals to be informed and take into consideration the rights and needs of children when communicating with them and working on their cases.

The selection of contents and modules results from a needs’ analysis conducted among multidisciplinary groups of professionals in Cyprus, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia and Sweden. The themes selected emerged as the most prominent and relevant to build the capacity of professionals and improve the child’s position in the different country contexts. Along with non-verbal and verbal communication skills when interacting with the child, it was considered that child-friendly proceedings can be optimised by improving communication with the families, inter-institutional cooperation, as well as by addressing communication at the level of early detection/reporting of abuse, and at the level of prevention by enhancing awareness raising strategies.

Target: Professionals from the judicial, healthcare, education systems working with children victims of sexual violence; children involved in judicial proceedings and their families