DOC/OS(XXX)247 Page 20 (iii) Police and investigating officials shall ensure that child witnesses, especially those who are victims of sexual abuse, do not come into contact with or made to confront the alleged perpetrator of the crime; (iv) The child’s right to privacy shall be respected at all times and no information that could identify a child witness shall be published; (v) Where necessary, a child witness shall be questioned by law enforcement officials through an intermediary; (vi) A child witness should be permitted to testify before a judicial body through an intermediary, if necessary; (vii) Where resources and facilities permit, video-recorded pre-trial interviews with child witnesses should be presented; (viii) Screens should be set up around the witness box to shield the child witness from viewing the defendant; (ix) The public gallery should be cleared, especially in sexual offence cases and cases involving intimidation, to enable evidence to be given in private; (x) Judicial officers, prosecutors and lawyers should wear ordinary dress during the testimony of a child witness; (xi) Defendants should be prevented from personally cross-examination child witnesses; (xii)The circumstances in which information about the previous sexual history of alleged child victims may be sought or presented as evidence in trials for sexual offences must be restricted. P. VICTIMS OF CRIME AND ABUSE OF POWER a) Victims should be treated with compassion and respect for their dignity. They are entitled to have access to the mechanisms of justice and to prompt redress, as provided for by national legislation and international law, for the harm that they have suffered. b) States must ensure that women who are victims of crime, especially of a sexual nature, are interviewed by women police or judicial officials. c) Sates shall take steps to ensure that women who are complainants, victims or witnesses are not subjected to any cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. d) Judicial and administrative mechanisms should be established and strengthened where necessary to enable victims to obtain redress through formal or informal procedures that are expeditious, fair, inexpensive and accessible. Victims should be informed of their rights in seeking redress through such mechanisms. e) States are required to investigate and punish all complaints of violence against women, including domestic violence, whether those acts are perpetrated by the state, its officials or agents or by private persons. Fair and effective procedures and mechanisms must be established and be accessible to women who have been subjected to violence to enable them to file criminal complaints and to obtain other redress for the proper investigation of the violence suffered, to obtain restitution or reparation and to prevent further violence. f) Judicial officers, prosecutors and lawyers, as appropriate, should facilitate the needs of victims by: (i) Informing them of their role and the scope, timing and progress of the proceedings and the final outcome of their cases; (ii) Allowing their views and concerns to be presented and considered at appropriate stages of the proceedings where their personal interests are affected, without prejudice to the accused and consistent with the relevant national criminal justice system; (iii) Providing them with proper assistance throughout the legal process; (iv) Taking measures to minimize inconvenience to them, protect their privacy, when necessary, and ensure their safety, as well as that of their families and witnesses on their behalf, from intimidation and retaliation;