我国刑事诉讼中儿童证人作证模式改革研究

Research on the Reform of the Testimony Mode of Child Witnesses in Criminal Proceedings of China

近年来,虐待儿童、性侵儿童、猥亵儿童案件受到社会广泛关注。为保护儿童证人,使其免受出庭作证可能带来的再次伤害,2021年修正的《高法解释》规定儿童证人一般不出庭作证。本文结合新《未成年人保护法》探讨未来我国刑事诉讼中儿童证人作证模式的改革进路:即儿童证人在审判中不出庭作证,由儿童证人主张所支持当事人的对方来选择适格问询员,其根据预先设置的法定程序在审前阶段对儿童证人进行询问。这种儿童证人作证模式允许不出庭儿童证人庭前陈述的使用,为被告人提供较在庭审中直接询问儿童证人更好的机会,最大限度减少对儿童证人的伤害,是新《未成年人保护法》确立的最有利于未成年人原则在刑事诉讼中的司法适用。

In recent years,the society has paid a lot of attention to the cases of child abuse,sexual assaults cases against children,and child molestation.In order to protect child witnesses from re-injury that may be caused by testifying in court,the 2021 newly revised judicial interpretation stipulated that child witnesses generally do not testify in court.Combined with the amended Law on the Protection of Minors by the Supreme People’s Court the author would like to discuss the reform approach of the child witness testimony model in the criminal proceedings of China:Child witnesses do not need to testify in court,the qualified inquirer will be selected by the opponent of the party supported by the child witness.Such principles allow the relevant parties to interview child witnesses at the pre-trial stage according to pre-established legal procedures.In order to minimize the harm to child witness,this testimony model uses pre-court statements by absent child witnesses and serves as better opportunities for defendants than directly questioning child witnesses in court.It is the application fo the principle most favarable to minors in criminal proceedings.The principle is established by the Law of the People’s Republic of China in the Protection of Minors.