Judicial System for the Best Interest of the Child

The Second Coordination Meeting of Juvenile Prosecutors in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in Zenica within the project Justice for Every Child, supported by UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the meeting, prosecutors exchanged experiences of working with children in conflict with the law, alternative measures and also best practices in order to do everything to work in the best interest of the child.

Prosecutor Jasna Pećanac opened the meeting pointing out that it is necessary to establish a working plan for the period to come. “The aim of today’s gathering is that prosecutors working with juveniles exchange their experiences, discuss and point out the need to consolidate practices in applying legal provisions.” The work plan for the following period, will be drafted on the basis of proposals and plans for the work program of coordination of prosecutors for minors in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Elvir Musić, UNICEF’s Child Protection Officer, spoke about the way UNICEF supports this project: “Through this project, UNICEF has been involved in the training of judges, prosecutors, and expert advisors. Also, the project has promoted alternative measures that are being implemented with many partners we have at the local level.” Speaking about the ways and conditions of work with children, who are in contact and in conflict with the law, Musić added: “UNICEF has improved the conditions for working with children through equipping local judicial institutions, training of expert advisors and prosecutors, and employing expert advisers.”

During the meeting, prosecutors had the opportunity to see the short film “Such a long day”, which was filmed with the support of UNICEF, the Swedish International Development Agency SIDA, and the Swiss government. The film was filmed under the project “Justice for Every Child”. The film “Such a long day” can be viewed on the UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina YouTube channel.

Moreover, at the meeting the importance of psychologists while children are processed, was discussed. Indira Ćuk, the cantonal prosecutor for juveniles of the Una-Sana Canton Prosecutor’s Offices said: “It is very important to have a quality psychologist to prepare, give instructions to people working with children, and to introduce the child to the procedure and encourage him.” Ćuk added that without a good psychologist there is no quality work with children: “Every aspect of work must be done for the child’s best interest, not just for the outcome.”

The Second Coordination Meeting of prosecutors for juveniles in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was ended with the visit to the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office of the Zenica-Doboj Canton.

Support to the coordination of prosecutors is carried out under the project “Justice for Every Child”, which is carried out with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Government of Switzerland and UNICEF, and in cooperation with relevant ministries, institutions and agencies, as well as civil society organizations.