The event, held on November 19, 20, and 21, aimed to contribute to the ongoing professional development of interviewers while promoting the exchange of best practices across institutions and professionals nationwide.
From November 19 to 21, the 1st Interviewers’ Meeting for Law 21.057 on Videorecorded Interviews took place with the goal of supporting the continuous training of professionals working with children and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse and other violent crimes. Over the three-day event, more than 100 professionals from across Chile attended in person, with an additional 50 participants joining via streaming. The attendees included interviewers representing institutions such as the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Carabineros de Chile, and the Investigative Police (PDI). These professionals are responsible for implementing the Law on Videorecorded Interviews, a regulation introduced in 2019 and in full effect nationwide since 2022.
“In Chile, one of the most significant advances in recent years has been the creation of the Law on Videorecorded Interviews, a fundamental step toward protecting children and adolescents who are victims of sexual crimes. This law represents a profound shift in the system, seeking to ensure that victims can provide testimony safely and without experiencing secondary victimization,” said Loreto Moore, Executive Director of Fundación Amparo y Justicia, during the event. “Today, we gather not only to share knowledge but also to strengthen our collective efforts to protect the rights of children and adolescents in our country,” she added.
Panels and Workshops
The event, hosted at the School of Psychology of the Universidad San Sebastián, began with a panel discussion featuring British expert Nick Quine, retired sergeant of the Avon and Somerset Regional Police in the United Kingdom and renowned trainer in Videorecorded Interviews; Maurizio Sovino, attorney and Director of the Sexual Offenses Unit of the National Prosecutor’s Office; and María Loreto Campos, accredited interviewer from Carabineros de Chile.
Following his participation, Maurizio Sovino emphasized, “For interviewers to practice effectively, it is crucial to learn best practices from others and understand the critical challenges faced in different parts of the country. In this context, a national meeting where professionals from the PDI, Carabineros, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ministry of the Interior can come together is by far one of the best opportunities to improve practices and, of course, enhance access to justice for children and adolescents.”
The event also featured discussions led by Carolina Navarro from the Centre for Investigative Interviewing at Griffith University, Javiera Paz Bratti from the Sexual Offenses and Sexual Exploitation Unit of the National Prosecutor’s Office, Edgardo Toro from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Commissioner Álvaro Vega from the CEIV (Videorecorded Investigative Interview Center), and Yasna Guerrero, instructor and interviewer at the CEIV.
In subsequent sessions, various workshops were offered by British expert Nick Quine, Verónica Romo, a trainer from the Valparaíso Prosecutor’s Office, and Hans Eichhorns, a psychologist from Fundación Amparo y Justicia.
For specialist Verónica Romo, the event “has been a highly enriching experience. What we have aimed to present is a methodology for interviewers to systematically plan all the initial information available while incorporating the rigor required for this investigative procedure. We understand that the interview is an investigative process.”
Meanwhile, British expert Nick Quine expressed gratitude for the event, which marked his return to Chile following ongoing collaboration with Fundación Amparo y Justicia. “It has been a great privilege. The participants demonstrate an enormous and profound commitment to their work, which makes my job as a trainer much easier,” he remarked after the workshops.
“Moreover, the system has reached a level of maturity where it can sustain itself, though I’m not sure all participants have the self-confidence to maintain it. They shouldn’t lack confidence because they are excellent. I’m amazed by their expertise, intelligence, and innovation,” he added.
This 1st Interviewers’ Meeting follows the 1st Interviewers’ Congress held a year ago, also organized by Fundación Amparo y Justicia, to enable professionals to acquire and refine technical skills and share best practices at both national and international levels in investigative interviewing and judicial intermediation.
