LexisNexis supports a fair go for Kiwi kids in courts

New research on child witnesses in New Zealand to be presented at
LexisNexis Child Law Conference, 21-22 April

AUCKLAND, April 21, 2010 – LexisNexis New Zealand (www.lexisnexis.co.nz), a leading provider of content-enabled workflow solutions, today announced that it will support the official launch and dissemination of findings from a major research study aimed at improving the plight of child witnesses in New Zealand as part of LexisNexis worldwide efforts to promote the Rule of Law.

The study, Child Witnesses in the New Zealand Criminal Courts: A Review of Practice and Implications for Policy will be released during the two-day LexisNexis Child Law Conference 2010 (21-22 April), by the Institute of Public Policy, a multidisciplinary research and development body at Auckland University of Technology (AUT University). The Institute has expertise in child and family policy development; the prevention of partner violence, child abuse and neglect; and restorative justice.

The complete research report will be available for download from LexisNexis at www.lexisnexis.co.nz/childwitnesses from 22 April.

As part of the LexisNexis Child Law Conference addressing children’s rights and welfare in the legal system, Dr Emma Davies, Programme Director, Social Development, at the Institute for Public Policy, and co-author and instigator of this project, will host a symposium on child witnesses in the criminal justice system. At the symposium, the researchers will present an overview of their findings, including:

• The issues facing child witnesses today in the New Zealand criminal courts
• How other jurisdictions enable child witnesses to participate in criminal proceedings
• What might be done in New Zealand to make the process more fair for children

“LexisNexis is proud to be associated with this significant research work, which highlights the issues faced by child witnesses within New Zealand’s criminal justice system,” said Moncharna Prohm, head of Professional Development for LexisNexis in New Zealand. “Children are a vulnerable group, and this rigorous research goes a long way toward promoting productive discussion and policy review around children’s rights among the judiciary, lawyers, victim advisors, police child-abuse teams, and the broader community.”

The LexisNexis Child Law Conference will be held 21-22 April 2010, in Auckland. More information on the conference is available at www.lexisnexis.co.nz, by emailing seminars@lexisnexis.co.nz, or by calling +64 9 368 9502.

About LexisNexis
LexisNexis® (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions designed specifically for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting, and academic markets. LexisNexis originally pioneered online information with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. A member of Reed Elsevier [NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK] (www.reedelsevier.com), LexisNexis serves customers in more than 100 countries with 15,000 employees worldwide.

LexisNexis New Zealand (www.lexisnexis.co.nz) provides business information and software to professionals who work in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets. Formerly known as Butterworths, LexisNexis has served the New Zealand legal market for over 80 years.

ENDS

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