Guidelines for conducting child d forensic interviews in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Child protection investigations can be described as a right based approach which is crucial in bringing relief to the child victims and their families. However, the process of bringing relief and punishing/ removing offenders require complex skills, infrastructure, and effective interagency working. As a key partner in this process, Children's and Women's desks in the Sri Lankan police play an important role. However, due to resource and attitudinal constraints in the past, there has been recognized dif?culties in providing child protection investigations in the Sri Lankan milieu. The paper provides an overview of issues which restraints investigative officers from conducting effective child forensic investigations. It also provides guidelines to improve child forensic interviews within the Sri Lankan milieu; in the domains of pre-recruitment criteria, physical environment, interview protocol, recording evidence, and networking/coordinating. It also stresses the importance of providing remuneration/ reinforcement to investigative officers conducting child forensic interviews.