The Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) has called on the government to provide a public prosecutor to deal specifically with cases involving the sexual assault of children.
JSMP legal research coordinator Rita Marques said it was sometimes difficult for children to have their cases dealt with by the courts.
“It must be a lawyer who really knows how to deal with children,” Marques said.
She said there were several obstacles to providing legal assistance to children presently, as there was a single prosecutor in the Public Ministry in charge of matters concerning children, and no specialist barrister to take such matters through the court.
She said the courts did not differentiate between adults and children during trial processes.
Public Prosecutions president Sergio Hornai said some lawyers dealt specifically with matters relating to children, but did not work sexual assault cases.
The public lawyers working cases related to children primarily dealt with matters of adoption and neglect, he said.
“Now is the time to make a plan to nominate a public lawyer in the specific area of children who are the victims of sexual violations,” he said.
He said the Public Ministry should work with the Ministry of Social Solidarity – which is charged with ensuring the care of children – to nominate a lawyer to take on the responsibility.
