A child-friendly space for children giving evidence in the Whangarei Law Courts - the first of its type in the country - will contribute towards making the environment less stressful for them, Northland's Crown solicitor says.
Crown Prosecutor Mike Smith said the child-friendly space was made possible through collaboration between his office, Victim Support, lawyers and court staff, with assistance from the business community.
He was reacting to an announcement this week by Justice Minister Amy Adams who applauded the new initiative for children giving evidence in Whangarei courts. Previously the room was used for people to give evidence via video conferencing, and was a standard meeting room with a large table and video conferencing equipment. Now the room has been given a splash of colour and old board games have been updated with an X-box and TV alongside toys and books, courtesy of fundraising and donations from the local community and businesses.
Judges and lawyers visit the room to meet children in person before their appearance via CCTV. In the first six months of this year, 24 vulnerable witnesses, mainly children, gave evidence from the room.
Mr Smith said giving evidence was never easy and anything done to make the process less stressful would help.