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Child justice issues to be focus of Commonwealth forum in Turks and Caicos
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| Published on Friday, September 25, 2009 | Email To Friend Print Version
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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- Caribbean countries will be well represented next month when UNICEF partners with the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges’ Association (CMJA) to host a high-level forum to examine justice for children.
The Colloquium on the Law and the Child, which brings together senior judicial officers from all 54 Commonwealth countries, will be held in conjunction with the CMJA’s 15th Triennial Conference, which is being held in the Turks and Caicos Islands under the theme “Justice for the Next Generation”.
The October 1-2 forum will seek to sensitize Magistrates and Judges on International Treaties and Laws relating to children. It comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989.
Other objectives of the forum are to develop a partnership between UNICEF and the CMJA on children’s rights and to enhance networking within the CMJA on aspects of the rights of the child.
During the two-day colloquium various panels will examine the issue of legislation regarding juvenile justice and seek to identify any difficulties and problems in utilizing guiding international instruments such as the CRC at a national level. They will also share good examples on how the Treaties have been integrated in the juvenile system at a national level and identify strategies through which this can be further achieved.
The judicial officers will also identify problems and gaps in the existing legal framework, share good examples of particular national legislation to protect children and identify strategies to enhance the protection of children by law.
Child participation in court will be examined during a plenary session which will seek to identify ways in which the voices of children can be heard and taken into consideration in the law court. During this session the conference will also seek to identify the strategies and the tools needed for the consideration of children’s opinions by the court.
The justice system dealing with the child both as the perpetrator of crime and as victim will be discussed as the focus shifts towards restorative justice and the court’s involvement in crime prevention programmes. Best practices for children who have been victims of crime will also come into focus.
UNICEF Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Tom Olsen, described the forum as timely and crucial. He said his Office is extremely happy to partner with the CMJA to host these important deliberations. | | | | Reads : 660 | | | |
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