Children on the Front Lines of Justice: Report Sexual Abuse and Survive the Criminal Trial

Progressive Voices

Leslie is joined by Author Eliza Sultan and District Attorney of New Mexico's 13th Judicial District, Barbara Romo. The pair are here to talk about Eliza's book, "Children on the Front Lines of Justice: Report Sexual Abuse and Survive the Criminal Trial," which D.A. Romo wrote the foreword in. "Children On the Front Lines of Justice” is the story of a brave brother and sister, May and Charlie, who testify against a family member at his criminal trial. They must be brave and tell the truth about sexual abuse. The story is narrated from the children’s perspective. The objective of the book is to help children, parents, caregivers, guardians and anyone working with these survivors to have an idea of what to expect- when faced with having to testify. Any child from age 2-18 faced with having to testify at a criminal trial could benefit from this story of valiance and justice. The book is also a resource that prosecutors, advocates, and anyone who is touched by the justice system could share with families facing this experience. Eliza and her kids hope that the book will help children and their families know that they are not alone in their experience. The book is available on Amazon at this link:https://a.co/d/0eCnTSW Eliza Sultan is an author, writer of op-eds, legislative advocate, self-described pain-in-the-activist, and mother of two children. She became active on issues of child testimony reform and child welfare after her family experienced first-hand the toll that participating in the criminal justice process takes on a family, particularly the issue of children testifying in open-court in front of someone who harmed them. Inspired by the courage of her children, Eliza began advocating to bring awareness to these issues and push for legislative and policy change that reflects the reality of the trauma that the judicial process itself exacts on families. In addition to her book, Eliza continues her advocacy through speaking engagements and consultation with policy leaders across the country, and she anticipates expanding her advocacy into other areas of the justice system that impact children. You can follow her on Instagram where her handle is @ESultanAdvocacy. Barbara Romo is District Attorney of New Mexico's 13th Judicial District. She’s been practicing law in New Mexico for over 24 years, having worked for eight years in the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office prosecuting a variety of felonies and heading up the Felony Crimes Against Children Unit, exclusively prosecuting felony crimes against children and homicides. As a prosecutor, Barbara has prosecuted every type of felony and has tried over 100 cases before juries specializing in crimes against children, sexual assault and homicides. She has worked for the New Mexico Victim's Rights Project as a victims' rights attorney, providing legal representation to crime victims as well as providing training and assistance to prosecutors, law enforcement, and other agencies who assist victims of crime. Barbara has been much lauded receiving the Community Service Prosecutor of the year award in 2018, Prosecutor of the Year in 2016, Rookie Prosecutor of the Year in 1997 all from the New Mexico District Attorney Association.