United Nations Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Children in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice A/RES/69/194 (e) To ensure that violent acts against children, when suspected by health and social services or child protection agencies, are promptly reported to the police and other law enforcement agencies; (f) To promote the establishment of specialized units specifically trained to deal with the complexities and sensitivities relating to child victims of violence, from which victims can receive comprehensive assistance, protection and intervention services, including health and social services, legal aid and police assistance and protection; (g) To ensure that adequate medical, psychological, social and legal services sensitive to the needs of child victims of violence are in place to enhance the criminal justice management of cases involving violence against children, to encourage the development of specialized health services, including comprehensive, free and confidential forensic examinations by trained health providers and appropriate treatment, including HIV-specific treatment, and to facilitate and support inter-agency referrals of child victims for services; (h) To provide support to children whose parents or caregivers are deprived of liberty in order to prevent and address the risk of violence such children may be exposed to as a result of the parents’ or caregiver’s actions or situation. VIII. Improving criminal proceedings in matters involving child victims of violence 24. With respect to criminal proceedings in matters involving child victims of violence, Member States are urged, as appropriate and while taking into consideration relevant international human rights instruments: (a) To ensure that comprehensive services are provided and protection measures are taken to ensure the safety, privacy and dignity of victims and their families at all stages of the criminal justice process, without prejudice to the ability or willingness of the victim to participate in an investigation or prosecution, and to protect them from intimidation and retaliation; (b) To ensure that the child’s views are given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child, that the child is provided the opportunity to participate fully in any judicial and administrative proceedings, that every child is treated as a capable witness and that his or her testimony is not presumed to be invalid or untrustworthy by reason of the child’s age alone, as long as the court or other competent authority deems that his or her age and maturity allow the giving of intelligible and credible testimony, with or without communication aids and other assistance; (c) To ensure, in appropriate cases, that child victims of violence are not required to testify as part of the criminal justice process without the knowledge of their parents or legal guardians, that a child’s refusal to testify does not constitute a criminal or other offence and that child victims of violence are able to testify in criminal proceedings through adequate measures and child-friendly practices that facilitate such testimony by protecting their privacy, identity and dignity, ensuring their safety before, during and after legal proceedings, avoiding secondary victimization and respecting their need and legal right to be heard while recognizing the legal rights of the accused; (d) To ensure that child victims of violence, their parents or legal guardians and legal representatives, from the first contact with the justice system and throughout the judicial proceedings, are promptly and adequately informed of, inter alia, the rights of the child, the relevant procedures, available legal aid and the progress and disposition of the specific case; 17/29