KEY TAKEAWAYS
The child sexual offences evidence program intends to provide greater support for child sex abuse victims during criminal proceedings prior to and during court in New South Wales by way of holding pre-recorded evidence and witness intermediaries to reduce the trauma of giving evidence during trials in front of a jury and the accused. This program is introduced by the new Part 29 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW).
The NSW Government has announced that a program seeking to provide greater support for child sex abuse victims will soon be rolled out across every District Court in the state.
This essentially means that child complainants of sexual offences will now be able to pre-record their evidence, as well as have a professional intermediary who provides support including during hearings by seeking to ensure questioning does not create further trauma for the child.
