[Psychosocial intervention to help child and adolescent witnesses in court]

The risk of crimes being committed against children and adolescents is particularly high. These individuals should receive effective protection. Confronted with judicial proceedings, they are exposed to enormous amounts of stress. Often they are overwhelmed by feelings of fear and insecurity. Secondary victimization is likely to follow as a result of the negative experiences they encounter with the judicial system. A victim assistance program has been set up in the regional and district court of Düsseldorf in order to protect against such trauma. Forty-seven child and adolescent victims and 53 adult victims, all turned witnesses, took part in the program. Standardized questionnaires for mood and affect were applied. Results show that the younger witnesses perceive the experience of the court proceedings as stressful compared to adults. However, they also benefit mostly from the victim support services. Fear and stress were successfully alleviated. Qualified victim support interventions may play an important role in protecting children and adolescents in the courtroom from "secondary victimization".