Watching justice from afar
Children’s experiences in remote criminal hearings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.2684Palabras clave:
Audiencias a distancia, derechos de los menores, justicia digital, equidad procesalResumen
Los menores que se encuentran en el sistema de justicia penal son intrínsecamente vulnerables; sin embargo, la digitalización de los procedimientos judiciales se acelera sin tener debidamente en cuenta sus derechos humanos. Esta investigación analiza cómo las audiencias a distancia afectan a los derechos humanos de los menores en cuatro jurisdicciones europeas. A partir de entrevistas y encuestas a menores y profesionales de la justicia en Rumanía, Irlanda, España y Ucrania, hemos constatado que las audiencias a distancia perjudican sistemáticamente a los menores que se enfrentan a situaciones de pobreza, neurodiversidad, barreras lingüísticas y otras vulnerabilidades. Los menores afirman sentirse excluidos, confundidos y expuestos durante los procedimientos a distancia, y comparan sus experiencias con «ver un vídeo de YouTube» en lugar de participar en procesos jurídicos. El mito generalizado de los «nativos digitales» oculta profundas disparidades en cuanto a la posesión de dispositivos, la conectividad, la alfabetización digital y el acceso seguro de los menores —disparidades que se intensifican en función de la intersección de factores como la raza, la situación socioeconómica y la discapacidad—. Teniendo en cuenta la tendencia generalizada hacia la digitalización de los sistemas judiciales, sostenemos que la digitalización sin evaluaciones exhaustivas del impacto en la igualdad afianza la discriminación estructural y genera injusticia.
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Derechos de autor 2026 Dr Oscar O'Mara, Professor Nessa Lynch
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