Moldova to enjoy friendlier rooms for hearing minors - victims, witnesses of offences

Chisinau, 26 June /MOLDPRES/ - The conditions of hearing minors – victims or witnesses of offences – will be improved, after the government has approved, for the first time ever, standards as regards the arrangements of rooms to this end. Thus, the room for hearting is to ensure the protection, assistance and support commensurate with minors’ age.    

The room will comprise three chambers – for waiting, hearing and visualization, which will be arranged in a friendly way, with the document clearly stipulating the dimension and endowment of those three zones.   

The preparation for the hearing of the child-victim/witness will be held in the waiting room, where the child will come with his/her legal representative. The room will have a space for play, for psychological comfort of minors.   

The minor’s hearing itself will be held in the hearing chamber, where the minor and the interviewer – a trained person for an efficient communication – will be. The chamber must ensure the isolation of the minor; it should be equipped, endowed with furniture and decorated in accordance with children’s needs. Also, to ensure the requirements of the judicial system, microphones, video cameras and ear phones will be envisaged.      

The third chamber will be meant exclusively for the visualization of hearings in special conditions; it will be endowed with reception equipment and audio and video recording.

The need of this decision comes, given that the Criminal Procedure Code presently does not explain the concept of specially arranged space for hearing children.