ODPP Launches Child-Friendly Interviewing Guide to Safeguard Minors in Justice System

 The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has launched the Guide to Child-Friendly Interviewing, a landmark manual aimed at strengthening the protection, dignity, and meaningful participation of children within Kenya’s criminal justice system.

The guide provides practical standards and procedures for interviewing child victims, witnesses, and suspects, ensuring that justice processes are trauma-informed, age-appropriate, and rights-based.

ODPP said the tool marks a critical step towards institutionalising a child-responsive justice system, aligned with the Constitution, international child protection standards, and Kenya’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

By promoting safe, respectful, and supportive interviewing practices, the guide seeks to reduce re-traumatisation of children while improving the quality and reliability of evidence.

The initiative underscores the ODPP’s commitment to access to justice, equality before the law, and protection of vulnerable groups, reinforcing the principle that the best interests of the child must remain paramount at every stage of the justice process.