International Conference on the Accessibility of Criminal Justice for People with Disabilities – INVITATION

Over the past 20 years, Centre for Legal Resources (CLR) has observed that there is an unmet need for communication assistance for children and adults with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities in criminal justice. Romania’s convictions at the European Court of Human Rights are further evidence. Although CLR has repeatedly referred to the competent authorities the high number of uninvestigated deaths, ill-treatment and abuse of minors and adults with disabilities, a small number of victims have been heard and had effective access to justice in domestic proceedings.

In order to meet the need for information and collaboration between legal and psychosocial specialists, we invite you to learn some of the practical solutions from the experience of international practitioners in assisting and mediating communication between the victim, witness, suspect with intellectual/psychosocial disabilities and the criminal court.

The event will be attended by judges, prosecutors, representatives of relevant ministries, general directorates for social assistance and child protection, psychologists, social workers, doctors, lawyers, people with disabilities and representatives of NGOs in the field.

The conference is structured in 2 thematic parts: the one on 19th May will be dedicated to minors with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities (agenda day 1) and the one on 20th May to adults with disabilities, victims of crimes (agenda day 2).

The event will take place at Hotel Novotel, Calea Victoriei nr. 37B, Bucharest, from 10:00 to 16:00 (Thursday, day 1) and 9.30 to 15.30 (Friday, day 2). The CLR will provide accommodation and transport for the participants.

Please confirm your participation for the first and/or second day – by 15 May 2022.

For confirmations pleasi fill THIS FORM or send a message to: andreea.badea@crj.ro , oana.dodu@crj.ro , 0770.981.801, 0728.112.186.

Yours sincerely,
Georgiana Pascu
Programme Manager
Centre for Legal Resource
Tel. 0729 881 159

___________________________________

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Charlotte Orrell
Registered Intermediary and Communication Therapist, UK

Charlotte has been working as a therapist since 2003. Over this time she has gained specialist experience in working with children and young people with complex communication needs, including autism, learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. Charlotte has also worked as a registered intermediary in England since 2008, facilitating communication with children and young people with communication needs whose testimonies are required at police interviews and at trial. In 2016, Charlotte led the rewrite of the Advocate’s Gateway toolkit on interviewing a person with autism. Charlotte has written expert reports for family courts on autism and communication issues. Charlotte has trained professionals on communication, interviewing and intermediary issues, both nationally and internationally, including training High Court judges in India.

Rados Keravica
Member of the Board of the European Network for Independent Living – ENIL, Brussels

Radoš Keravica is a disabled researcher from Serbia and a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, Centre for Disability Studies in the School of Sociology and Social Policy. He works as Marie Sklodowska-Curie Early-Stage Researcher within the Disability Advocacy Research in Europe (DARE) project. He holds a law degree from the Central European University and a master’s degree in international economics from the University of Novi Sad. His PhD research project uses socio-legal analysis and focuses on the participation of children with disabilities in healthcare decision-making in the context of disability-related elective orthopaedic treatments. It further explores the relationship between the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in the area of children’s participation.
He previously worked for the UN OHCHR in Serbia as a Disability Rights Specialist.

Carla Ferreira
CARE Manager – Support Network for Child and Youth Victims of Sexual Violence, Portugal

Since 2017 she has been coordinating two specialized networks: the Support Network for Families and Friends of Victims of Murder and Terrorism (APAV – RAFAVHT) and the Support Network for Child and Youth Victims of Sexual Violence (CARE). Previously she was Victim Support Officer at Victim Support Porto Officer, within APAV – Portuguese Association for Victim Support.
She is currently a member of EUCVT – European Union Centre for Victims of Terrorism; and an expert in the Child Safeguarding in Sport (CSiS) project, a joint project of the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (COE). Main topics of interest and intervention: child and youth victims of crime; child and youth victims of sexual violence; victims’ rights; homicide victims, their families and friends; terrorism.