On 12.12.2023, in Hall 201 of the National Institute of Justice, the Community “Justice for Children” held a meeting on the occasion of the project “The Voice of the Child”, implemented by the Training and Study Center for the Judiciary in the Netherlands, the Belgium Judicial Training Institute, the Italian School for the Judiciary and the Bulgarian National Institute of Justice. The project is funded under the European Commission’s Justice Programme for the period 2024-2026.
The film “The Voice of the Child”, which displays the real-time work of several Dutch judges dealing with cases affecting the rights of children in cases of parental conflict, was presented at the meeting. Besides the parents, it also features the children who have experienced their parents’ separation and the judges who, responsible and committed, seek solutions for the best interest of the child.
The film provoked a lively discussion on the skills and competencies that judges need to work with children. The film’s producer Pieter Fleury spoke about the film production challenges and the support of the Dutch judiciary in its realization. The participants discussed a vast range of possibilities for cooperation, in relation with the participation of Bulgarian judges in the production of a local film under the project.