Impacto do processo de decisão judicial em crianças vítimas de abuso sexual

: perceções dos juízes

Abstract

The child has an unavoidable presence in court. It is generally agreed that their involvement in the process is an emotionally demanding and stressful experience, therefore, justifies an adjustment of judicial procedures to reduce the negative impact of this experience (Ribeiro, 2009). The objective of this exploratory study is to understand judges perceptions of the impact of judicial decision-making on child sexual abuse victims. To achieve this goal was adopted, a qualitative approach, guided by the principles of Grounded Theory. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview guide (Ribeiro, 2009). Participants (judges) were intentionally selected according their recognized expertise about the subject under study and their involvement in the different stages of judicial process. According to the narratives it is noteworthy that judges understand the participation of the child as a complex and exhausting process that involves several weaknesses. Participants highlight psycho-emotional experience and have knowledge and awareness of the factors that contribute to secondary victimization, using strategies to lessen the impact of this experience. The results suggest that it would be important to improve specialized training of legal professionals and continuously research on this subject, from the perspective of different professionals .

Date of Award	2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Raquel Matos (Supervisor) & Catarina Ribeiro (Co-Supervisor)