Child victims to receive free legal aid

Child victims of sexual assault and abuse will receive free legal support from the government as early as next year.

The Ministry of Justice Sunday said it will submit a bill to the National Assembly to provide victims of sexual offenses aged under 13 with free legal support including a government-appointed lawyer, available from the initial investigation.

The move came as part of efforts to introduce a new protective system for child victims of sex offenses under 13. It is also in line with the revision of a special law on sex crimes.

The discussion to revise the Criminal Procedure Law is currently under way to guarantee victims the right to question a suspect through a lawyer. The law only allows suspects to have a lawyer while victims can’t.

All expenses will be met by the Protection Fund for Criminal Victims, which was initiated this year.

The ministry will submit the bill to the National Assembly in September so that the law can take effect as early as next year. The ministry also plans to expand the coverage of the law to embrace those under 19 in the near future.