Legal Literacy of Child Victims: A Study on Understanding Legal Terminology and Comprehension of Legal Professionals

This study analyzed the level of awareness of major legal terms and understanding of legal professionals among child victims of crime. A total of 50 children (34 girls, 16 boys) who gave initial statements at Sunflower Centers were surveyed to measure their recognition, understanding, and comprehension of legal professional roles regarding 12 major legal terms. The results showed that terms such as ‘police’ and ‘prison’ had high recognition rates, but overall understanding of the meaning and legal roles of terms such as ‘prosecution’ and ‘prosecutor’ was low. Meanwhile, children aged 10 or older and those with repeated victimization experiences showed a statistically significant higher level of understanding of the role of a lawyer. Analysis of a composite index combining recognition, understanding, and comprehension of legal professionals showed that age was the most important explanatory variable. The study found that differences exist in the degree of legal term understanding according to children’s age and type of victimization experience. Based on these findings, the study proposed that differentiated judicial support tailored to individual children’s cognitive levels and ages should be provided.