Today marks Universal Children’s Day and twenty years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Despite almost universal ratification of the CRC and clear guidance within it to develop a separate system of juvenile justice which protects the rights of children, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen continue to execute children and more than 1 million children worldwide are in places of detention, many of them subject to human rights abuses.

The majority of these children come from poor communities and their exposure to crime often reflects the failure of the state to protect or provide for them. Whatever the reason for their detention, children are entitled under international law to receive specific care and protection.

“Human rights reports from across the world show a lack of justice for children in conflict with the law. Children should not be subjected to a punitive process and other responses should be made available. Detention or imprisonment should always be treated as a last resort,” said Alison Hannah, Penal Reform International’s Executive Director.

Penal Reform International (PRI) promotes international standards including the use of non-custodial measures and methods to divert children from the adult justice system.

Within the Middle East and North Africa region PRI’s work focuses on the promotion of restorative justice approaches within the juvenile justice system. The programme aims to strengthen the ability of criminal justice stakeholders to protect the rights of children, build regional networks and improve relevant legislation. In Amman for example, pilot centres have been set up specifically to support children in conflict with the law. At these centres, personnel working with children are trained to consider the best interests of children in line with international standards.

In Russia and Ukraine, PRI works to improve the treatment and living conditions of children, women and accompanied children in places of detention. PRI works with different agencies within and outside the justice system to ensure that there is a proportionate response to women’s offending that is sensitive to the best interests of dependent children.

In Georgia PRI is developing pilot rehabilitation schemes, the first of their kind in the country. They aim to develop an effective alternative to the deprivation of children’s liberty, to address the needs of children and their behaviour in accordance with international standards, to reduce the frequency of reoffending, and to ensure that wherever possible children are able to remain with their families and continue their education.

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For more information, please contact:
Mariam Maskhulia - mariam@pri.ge; (995-32) 983560