Justice for Children
Rehabilitation rather than punishment
UNICEF is working closely with the government to improve the judicial and legal system in order to provide more complete protection to children in conflict with the law or at risk. This work includes the development of restorative justice for children, involving the use of such forms and methods as reconciliation, reparation, and mediation, thus preventing the child’s contact with the official judicial system.
UNICEF also contributes to the creation of a judicial system that is focused on the needs of children in conflict with the law or at risk. Work is underway to improve law enforcement practice in order to better reflect the interests of children.
Together with the Research Center of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, UNICEF organized training for judges of criminal and civil courts from 14 regions of the country on international standards in the field of children's rights and child-friendly judicial procedures. This year, the project also involves the Commission on Juvenile Affairs to master the elements of social work with children that belong to a vulnerable group, as well as the principles of justice for children.
Achievements
UNICEF pays special attention to the issue of imprisoning children, including prior to the commencement of the trial, taking care that this measure is applied only in the most extreme cases, and the period of detention prior to the commencement of the trial does not exceed 6 months;
UNICEF is making efforts to ensure that children under 18 are detained separately from adults and their conditions of detention fully comply with international standards;
UNICEF supported the introduction of a course on children's rights with a juvenile justice component into the curriculum of the Tashkent State Law Institute. This will facilitate the training of specialists who know the international documents and standards in this field.
Solution
- The development of legislation, standards and protocols mandating rights and safeguards for child victims and witnesses of crimes, and the development of services to assist such children;
- The establishment of comprehensive services for children at risk of offending, and the building of the capacity of frontline professionals to deliver these services;
- Advocacy for the establishment of family courts, and the specialization of judges to consider cases of children in contact with the law, ensuring that decisions to place children in alternative care or up for adoption is made by courts and not by administrative bodies;
- The development of training programmes for law-enforcement personnel on child rights, and the establishment of cooperation with training institutions to institutionalize pre-service and in-service trainings regarding child rights and child-friendly procedures;