Abstract:

Child maltreatment is a social problem that is emphasized and researched around the World. The phenomenon of sexual abuse is different from other types of abuse, since there is no eyewitness other than the victim and perpetrator. Children exposed to sexual abuse are sometimes pressured by family members to keep secret or deny what happened because the abuser is a family member which makes it difficult to reveal sexual abuse. Forensic interview is one of the most important tools in order to obtain information about what happened from the child who is the victim of abuse. The fact that the forensic interviewer is an expert in the field increases the probability of getting a full and correct answer from the child victim of abuse. The history of forensic interview with a child in the UK is older than in Turkey, the process that started in the late 1970s accelerated in the 1990s. The process of forensic interviewing with children in Turkey gained momentum especially with the publication of the Child Monitoring Center circular in 2012. It is pleasing that the number of Child Monitoring Centers affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Forensic Interview Rooms affiliated to the Ministry of Justice has increased rapidly since 2012. There is no forensic interview protocol yet in Turkey. It is believed that it would be appropriate to prepare a forensic interview protocol as soon as possible with the studies carried out on this subject. This article initially focus on investigative interviewing of children and then discuss the important components that may impact the children’s testimony. Interview aids, cognitive interview, multiple interviews with children and the role of interviewer will be outlined. In addition to that, investigative interviewing of children in the UK and Turkey will be discussed.

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