The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was ratified by the United Kingdom in 1991. The Convention sets out the rights that should be enjoyed by all children, including the right to be treated equally regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, disability, birth or other status. It also recognises a child’s right to express their views on matters affecting them and for those views to be given due weight.

The Convention also states that governments should protect children from physical or mental violence, injury, abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation while they are living with their parents or in the care of others.

In the Isle of Man, children are generally defined as anyone under the age of 18. Children are treated as vulnerable witnesses and may be eligible for special measures to help them give their best evidence. These measures can include giving evidence by live video link, removal of wigs and gowns, or having the public excluded from the courtroom where appropriate. Witnesses under 18 may also receive support from the Witness Service before, during and after attending court.

This depends on your age.
If you are 12 years old or under, we can ONLY support you with your parent or guardian’s permission. They will be with you when you are talking to our staff and volunteers unless they choose to let you meet with us on your own or with another trusted adult.  However, we are here to support you and what you have to say is important.

If you are 13 or over, we can support you without parental permission, although we would encourage you to think about involving them for support.  The only time we would not support you without your parent’s permission is if our trained staff and volunteers feel you are not able to make decisions and understand what is happening in the same way as others your age.

Victim Support Isle of Man’s service is confidential, and we will not report your crime to the police unless you ask us to help you with this.  We can support you to recover from the impact of crime whether you have reported the crime to police or not.

However, if you tell us something that makes us think you are in immediate danger, or if you tell us something about which we have a legal requirement to tell the police, we will do so in order to keep you safe from harm.

Victim Support Isle of Man aims to deliver a confidential service as much as possible.  This means that in normal circumstances, we will not tell anyone else about what you say to us.

However, if you tell us something which makes us believe you are at risk or in immediate danger, we will take steps to make you safe.  We may be legally obliged to inform social services or the police.  We may also release information if a judge requests it during a court case.   If we need to break confidentiality for any reason, we will try to inform you before we do so.

Yes, you have control over what happens to you unless you are at risk, there is a legal requirement for us to disclose information, or if we believe you to be in immediate danger.  We will do our best to explain things to you in a way you understand.  If we suggest something to you, like a referral to another agency or organisation, and you don’t want to do that, we will not make the referral without your permission.

You will have given a video statement to the police which is called an Achieving Best Evidence interview (ABE).  You will be asked again about what happened.  It’s not because the police don’t believe what you told them – this interview is designed to allow you to tell them about your experience in your own words, without any pressure.  If you need a break at any time, you can have one.  The video might then be used in court as the prosecution case, so you don’t have to go over everything again in court.

If you go to court, the Witness Service can support you.

You may be feeling unsettled, upset, anxious, worried, afraid or unhappy.  There are things we can do when we feel like this to help us to manage our feelings and stop us from becoming completely overwhelmed.  These are coping strategies (See the Coping Strategies page).  Some of these things you can do yourself in order to manage how you’re feeling, but there are also coping strategies that involve other people doing things for you.

Never be afraid to ask for help if you need it.  A good place to start is with a trusted adult, or with your GP.  They can refer you for help with specialist medical and mental health services.  Victim Support Isle of Man can also offer emotional support and practical help.

It is completely normal to experience anxiety, sadness or anger after crime.  If you have tried to manage these feelings on your own, but you’re not feeling any better, or don’t feel that you are coping well, please tell someone.  There is all sorts of help and a trusted friend, adult, doctor or Victim Support Isle of Man will be able to offer guidance and put you in contact with people who are experienced in helping young people get through feelings like this.

If you are experiencing heightened anxiety or panic attacks, you can read advice from Childline here

If you are thinking that you can’t cope and are starting to think that life has no point, please contact:

Childline on 0800 1111,

The Samaritans on 116 123 or

The Papyrus HOPEline on 0800 064 4141