Recently, a man in his 50s was acquitted of child rape by the Court of Appeal for Western Sweden, because the court was partly unsure of how the word “snip” should be interpreted.
The verdict has also led to major discussions about whether the demands on children in a legal process are too high, which SVT reported on earlier.
Helps the child to tell
At Barnahus in Gothenburg, children who have been exposed to sexual crimes are interrogated, among other things.
Letting the children tell the story themselves without asking leading questions is important, says child interrogator Daniel Brolin. It requires a great deal of responsiveness and accuracy.
– We know what the prosecutor wants to know, but the child doesn’t, so we are there to help the child tell about his situation and follow up with questions so the child can tell more.
Different how open the children are
Being able to tell about difficult things, abuse or other crimes you have been exposed to is very individual, according to Daniel Brolin.
– Some children have no problem at all talking about their situation, while some get attached immediately and don’t want to talk about it at all.
At the same time, he believes that the requirements must be high because it is the basis for a description of the crime.
– It is also so that the suspect can defend himself. It is up to the interrogator to follow the child in their story so that it becomes clear to others, he says.