The task force set up by Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics, Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér and Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog in December 2011 will continue its efforts in the interest of creating child-friendly justice administration.

It is the duty of the task force to engage in consultations with the civil organisations concerned in the interest of the implementation of child-friendly justice administration and to prepare the necessary legislative amendments in the wake of these consultations.

One of the most significant achievements of Hungary’s EU Presidency was that EU-level legislation was adopted on the sexual abuse of children, under which Member States are required to treat sexual offences committed against children, including Internet child pornography, in a similar manner.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Justice dedicated 2012 to the Year of Child-Friendly Justice Administration. As part of this, a number of legislative amendments concerning judicial proceedings were made for the better protection of children. Thanks to the amendment of the Criminal Code, children now enjoy increased protection and the new Penal Code will treat perpetrators committing offences against children with greater severity. Additionally, public administration proceedings, too, will be more child-centred; the processing time of child protection procedures has been halved and the authorities are required to provide information suited to the child’s level of maturity.

The main purpose of the programme is to help child victims to overcome the trauma they suffered with a friendlier justice administration system which does not compel them to have to relive their harsh experiences in the course of the proceedings. As one of the most important elements of this system, child-friendly hearing rooms are being created throughout the country. These child-friendly hearing rooms at police stations make it possible for experts to hear children under special circumstances suited to the child’s age and level of development with the minimum trauma possible. The target is to have such hearing rooms at all county seats by 2014.

(Minister of Public Administration and Justice)