Rights of Child Victims and Child Witnesses in Criminal Justice in Viet Nam

Abstract

Over the last few years, Viet Nam’s economy has developed quickly and changed social values through global integration. The numbers of children who have been victims and witnesses of crime have increased. From the most common points of entry into a criminal case, there should be a set of regulations governing the rights of child victims and child witnesses in all stages of the criminal process and the child welfare system. The article argues that the rights of children as victims and witnesses in criminal cases in Viet Nam still lack the necessary safeguards and are not compatible with international law. Although the criminal justice system of Viet Nam has been improved to protect children’s rights, there are still many challenges to ensure and protect the rights of children when they participate in the criminal justice system as victims and witnesses. To narrow the gap between the international standards and the national legal system in juvenile criminal justice in Viet Nam, this article examines the problems in criminal justice to protect child victims and child witnesses in Viet Nam. The research is based on international standards of juvenile criminal justice and uses comparative and quantitative methods. It discusses how the national criminal justice system can be reformed to prevent child victims and witnesses from being abused.