The basic premise of the doctoral dissertation is that only in-depth work with child victims of domestic violence, in light of a shortened, simplified, less formal and child-friendlier procedure, can help protect the most vulnerable group of victims and prevent lasting consequences for a child’s mental development. The theoretical part of the doctoral dissertation comprises a review of current findings on the victimology of children, domestic violence, and the participation of child victims in the pre-criminal and criminal procedure. It is followed by the empirical research, the purpose of which was to obtain subjective observations of experts on what contributes to secondary victimisation and what reduces the negative effects of secondary victimisation of a child involved in a criminal procedure. In Slovenia, there is no emphasis on research dealing with the situation of children who are involved in the pre-criminal and criminal procedure as victims of crime in practice, and major legislative changes in this area have been noticeable only in the last year (2019). The doctoral dissertation contributes to the Slovenian criminological (victimological) science in a field that has not been sufficiently researched and discussed and not given enough attention, with an emphasis on children who are involved in the pre-criminal and criminal procedure as victims of crime.
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