The International NGO Council on Violence Against Children: "creating a non-violent juvenile justice system"

Editor's Notes

• #9: INCO works with NGOs and other partners to ensure that the recommendations from the UN Study on Violence against Children are effectively implemented It includes 9 International NGO Representative and 9 Regional Representatives
• #10: INCO works with NGOs and other partners to ensure that the recommendations from the UN Study on Violence against Children are effectively implemented It includes 9 International NGO Representative and 9 Regional Representatives
• #11: This report is divided in 4 different parts: Creating a Non-violent Juvenile Justice System Building Blocks of a non-violent Juvenile Justice System A comparative journey through Violent and non-violent Juvenile Justice systems Conclusion & recoomendations The report 2013: Illustrates the magnitude of children’s exposure to violence in the justice systems; Identifies areas where critical efforts are needed to secure children’s rights and protection from violence; Presents a vision of a non-violent juvenile justice; Clarifies the many ways in which governments fail to,protect children in conflict with the law.
• #12: This report is divided in 4 different parts: Creating a Non-violent Juvenile Justice System Building Blocks of a non-violent Juvenile Justice System A comparative journey through Violent and non-violent Juvenile Justice systems Conclusion & recoomendations The report 2013: Illustrates the magnitude of children’s exposure to violence in the justice systems; Identifies areas where critical efforts are needed to secure children’s rights and protection from violence; Presents a vision of a non-violent juvenile justice; Clarifies the many ways in which governments fail to,protect children in conflict with the law.
• #13: - Children in conflict with the law are now legally entitled to special consideration and countries around the world are obligated to ensure that all children grow, develop, thrive and reach their full potential - The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: governments must “take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect [children] from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation.”
• #14: There is an increased violence against children in the juvenile justice system In 2006: a World Report on Violence Against Children was written, to examine the nature, extent and global magnitude of the violence experienced by children across all settings, including juvenile justice Inco is now responsible for ensuring that this work remains relevant, that its findings are disseminated, and that its recommendations are followed
• #15: justice systems must offer every child suspected or accused of an offence the full protections to which they are entitled every effort must be made to find a suitable non-custodial measure and thereby ensure that children are deprived of their liberty only as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time Restorative justice approaches merit particular attention as they seek to address the root causes of offending behaviour rather than simply examine the events surrounding an offence in isolation - Children must also have recourse when violence is perpetrated against them, and rights-based, child-sensitive complaints mechanisms should be accessible at all stages of the juvenile justice system - the situation of children in conflict with the law must be actively monitored to guarantee full support and protection
• #16: The report mentions 11 topics that need to be taken in consideration regarding juvenile justice A distinct Juvenile Justice: - separate approach from the criminal justice system : national laws and policies must not rely on existing models and systems that have been designed for adults, but rather be crafted to address the unique position of children in conflict with the law Juvenile justice also recognises children in conflict with the law as a vulnerable group entitled to special protection, and seeks to ensure that children’s rights 2) Reach The reach of the juvenile justice system should extend only to children who are accused of committing an offence : distinction between children in conflict and in contact with the law
• #17: 3) Minimum Age and Jurisdiction - Children must never be held criminally responsible for their actions : can be held accountable but not criminalized >18 years: special rights and protections  criminal responsibility should never be set below + exclusively within the juvenile justice system, not the adult criminal justice system 4) Staffing Poorly trained and qualified : Children’s rights and child protection should form an essential part of official curricula of the staff, they should understand child psychology, child welfare, international human rights standards and positive, non-violent behaviour management techniques There is a staff shortage and they have a low status: they have burnouts  they need a better remuneration and more employees
• #18: 5) Prevention Respecting children’s rights is perhaps the best way to prevent children from coming into conflict with the law, and just as resources must be harnessed to address an offence after it has occurred, so too must they be devoted to ameliorate the factors that gave rise to these actions in the first instance Resources should be shifted from policing, prosecuting and incarcerating children in conflict with the law to providing social, economic and psychological support for children and families in difficult circumstances
• #19: - Despite the noble aims of juvenile justice, contact with any justice system is in practice likely to have a harmful impact on children children in conflict with the law are often better served by constructive responses outside judicial proceedings that more effectively promote rehabilitation and social reintegration - These courses of action are made available through a process known as diversion, whereby children are channelled away from the formal justice system before a sentence is pronounced. - diversion should not be limited to minor or first-time offences, but considered as an available option wherever it would serve the best interests of the child - Possible diversionary measures include cautions or warnings; apologies to persons negatively affected by the actions in question;20 compensation, including non-monetary payment, for any damage caused; behavioural contracts; curfews; peer education or youth mentoring; mediation;21 referral to structured educational, vocational, community service or life skills programmes;22 and counselling, therapy, or substance abuse treatment
• #20: 7) Non custodial measures - it is estimated that more than one million children are deprived of their liberty - While any contact with the justice system can risk exposing children to violence, this is significantly greater for children in detention - Non-custodial measures should be preferred and rights-based and directed toward children’s full rehabilitation and reintegration. The principle of detention as a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time must be enshrined in national law, - Appropriate non-custodial measures should be selected based on both the nature and gravity of the offence and the age, maturity, situation and background of the child - Sentencing decisions should be made in a child’s best interests, and families should be involved in the selection of non-custodial measures to the extent that their participation serves these interests non-custodial sentences serve the interests of both children and society. They offer children opportunities to pursue their education, develop valuable skills, and build connections with the communities in which they live, all at a social and financial cost far lower than that of incarceration 8) Restorative Justice - aims to address the root causes of offending behaviour by helping children in conflict with the law to understand the consequences of their actions. - The restorative model asks children to take responsibility for repairing the harm they have caused, thereby encouraging them to show their capacity for change and positive action - National laws, policies and practices should facilitate restorative justice responses wherever possible and appropriate given the individual circumstances of each case
• #21: 9) Complaints mechanisms The absence of meaningful complaints mechanisms leaves children involved in the juvenile justice system with little recourse when violence is perpetrated against them Children all too often have no avenues to draw attention to police or institutional violence other than through the police or institutions themselves, and it is no surprise that only a tiny fraction of the acts of violence against children is reported, let alone investigated Children must be able to report violence in ways that are adapted to their rights, needs and level of understanding, and well-publicised complaints mechanisms should be accessible at all stages of involvement with the juvenile justice system all reports of violence against children must be thoroughly, independently and impartially investigated monitoring should be conducted by external agencies or independent advocacy organisations with full access to facilities and the ability to interview children and staff in private. It should not only seek to identify areas of concern, but also aim to establish and improve systematic violence protection measures
• #22: 10) Data Collection & Research Yet data are rarely collected, what exists is often not centralised, and figures are published only sporadically more informed policy decisions and increased public accountability, but also supports ongoing research projects to develop ever more effective, non-violent juvenile justice interventions 11) Public Support Fear and insecurity reinforce negative stereotypes of children in conflict with the law, focusing public perceptions of juvenile justice on youth violence rather than underlying problems of social and economic exclusion , a much greater public awareness of children’s rights, juvenile justice and the harmful effects of violence against children should be fostered Juvenile justice systems must also become more worthy of public support, and governments must fully accept their international obligations to adopt, promote and implement a rights-based, non-violent approach to juvenile justice
• #23: - While the nature and form of these violations vary across and within each system, it is abundantly clear that most countries are failing to protect children from all forms of violence. - To illustrate the violent realities of juvenile justice, this report follows children’s turbulent journey through a system theoretically designed to heal. This journey is based in juvenile justice laws, policies, practices, reports, studies and anecdotes from around the world - At the same time, the International NGO Council wishes to present a clear vision of a hypothetical journey through a non-violent juvenile justice system. This is based in international children’s rights obligations, accepted juvenile justice guidelines and standards, and established best practices - this report not only highlights the ways in which flawed juvenile justice systems perpetuate violence against children, but also shows how these systems can be reformed to ensure that each and every child who comes in conflict with the law is fully protected from all forms of violence
• #25: Despite long-standing international recognition of children’s right to be protected from all forms of violence, children in conflict with the law continue to face acts of aggression and abuse at every stage of their involvement with the justice system. Children in all corners of the globe are needlessly arrested, brutally interrogated, unfairly convicted, and summarily imprisoned for weeks, months, years or even lifetimes. Although there has been ample time, guidance and encouragement to address this growing crisis, distinct juvenile justice systems remain underdeveloped, underutilised, underresourced and underappreciated.
• #26: All too often, promises of positive, healing interventions into children’s lives have collapsed into inevitable violations of their rights The report ends by giving multiple recommendations for a non-violent juvenile justice system to: To International/regional Bodies to national Governments To children’s Rights advocates