Deusto Law students develop an accessible guide to criminal proceedings, helping victims of gender-based violence access justice

Law students from the University of Deusto taking part in the “Easy Read” proyect run by the Loiola Legal Clinic, have produced aguide on criminal proceedings, adapted to make it accessible to women who are victims of gender-based violence. The project focuses on producing three guides on the criminal justice process, tailored to specific groups: one for female victims in general, another for child victims, and a third for children whose mother is the victim. This initiative enables students to apply their knowledge to serve society from an inclusive perspective.

The process began with an initial training session held in November by Mikel Gabilondo Batiz, a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Deusto’s Law School, and a social worker who shared her perspective on supporting victims. Following that initial session, the students who had voluntarily taken part in the Easy-to-Read project this academic year began to draw up their proposal for an accessible guide, with the support of the lecturers in charge of the subject, Garazi Romero Sánchez and Raquel Arias Benéitez. Furthermore, the content has undergone a final review by the two aforementioned professionals and by Judge María José Barbarín Urquiaga, President of the Provincial Court of Gipuzkoa and a lecturer at the Law School of the University of Deusto in San Sebastian.

At the session held in May, the students presented their proposed guide and received feedback from the experts, who helped them complete the layout. Through this work, the Loiola Legal Clinic fulfils its objective of putting legal knowledge at the service of social justice and equity, helping victims to clearly understand their rights and the legal process they are facing.

The final version of the guide, which is intended to be a living, dynamic document that can be further developed in future academic years, was presented at the end of June at the Provincial Court of Gipuzkoa and will be disseminated with the aim of serving as a practical and accessible support tool.

Access the full guide