Children call on government to create child friendly justice
The chairperson of Children’s Parliament in Botswana, Unaludo Isaac has called on Government to speed up efforts to strengthen the country’s justice system and make it child friendly.
Gaborone, Botswana, 2 August 2023 - The chairperson of Children’s Parliament in Botswana, Unaludo Isaac has called on Government to speed up efforts to strengthen the country’s justice system and make it child friendly.
Speaking at the inaugural child friendly justice symposium hosted by UNICEF, Government of Botswana, and British High Commission, Unaludo expressed concern that the judicial system is generally understaffed which leads to delays in delivering justice for children. “Over the weekend I met with other child leaders from different parts of the country, and all of them are concerned about the double trauma that comes as a result of poor case management and delays,” she said. Unaludo, added that the courts are not child friendly, at times forcing children to come face to face with perpetrators.
Not only that but reporting cases to police can also be intimidating and often times parents do not know how to support us
Furthermore, she called on the leaders to give children feedback on issues that they are consulted on. “I hope this is not just another meeting, that you will give us feedback on what you’ve agreed on, progress made and challenges you are facing as our leaders,” she added.
Speaking at the symposium, Minister of Justice, Honorable Ronald Shamukuni committed that the symposium will develop a position paper that will guide access to justice by children in Botswana and clear recommendation on how child friendly justice system could be used to address violence against children.
I want to make a commitment to Unaludo and her peers that we will give you feedback on the outcomes of this meeting and will engage you on progress made from time to time
He added that the symposium will assist his Ministry to understand the gaps in the country’s friendly justice system. He pointed out that the strengthened partnerships as that with UNICEF and British High Commission will help the country strengthen the justice system.
For her part, UNICEF Representative, Dr Joan Matji, said that at the Centre of the child friendly justice system should be the children themselves
We should not design this without taking into consideration the views of the intended recipients. Children’s voices are integral for this process, and we owe it to them to provide feedback
Dr Matji thanked the British High Commission and the Embassy of Japan towards their continued support on ending violence against children. Through their support, UNICEF has built three child friendly police centers for less privileged communities and trained police officer to handle and document cases of child victims and offenders.
