Children who are the victims of crime will have extra eyes watching out for them as sa国际传媒 tries to prevent a repetition of a serious sex-assault case that was tossed out of court.
A parent who was a recent immigrant to sa国际传媒 was charged with child sexual assault, but the case was thrown out in January 2010 because of delays that the judge said violated the right to a speedy trial. The delay was caused by problems getting an accredited translation of witness statements.
The representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, flagged the case in March 2012. One of the results of her recommendations was the justice branch鈥檚 first Report on Children and Youth Victims, which will become an annual study.
The first report includes a new policy on cases involving children and youth. Senior prosecutors will be required to review any cases where 鈥渁 procedural or investigative barrier鈥� could affect the prosecution, so it can be addressed before it becomes a problem.
Children need our protection. Crimes against them, particularly sexual crimes within the family, must be investigated, prosecuted and adjudicated effectively. To allow cases to vanish without resolution is intolerable.
The new policy will help make sure it doesn鈥檛 happen again.
