Number of detained children decreases, but not owing to qualitative system changes

The number of detained children in Moldova has fallen by 2/3 during the last nine years, while of convictions by 77%. The criminal cases against minors have halved in number. The figures are contained in a report assessing the juvenile justice system in Moldova that was launched by UNICEF and the Ministry of Justice, Info-Prim Neo reports. The reduction in the number of children in detention is mainly due to the amnesty of 2008, not to the qualitative changes in the system, says the report. In some of the cases, the children accused of committing offenses wait in detention for the court decision for a year and more, at a time when this period should not exceed four months. The conditions in which the children are held on a temporary basis, especially in prisons for boys, are inhuman, while the disciplinary punishments imposed on them are not on accordance with the international standards. “The prison does not make a child better. The children who come into conflict with the law are usually vulnerable and cannot control their lives. In order to rehabilitate them, they should be helped to overcome the encountered problems,” UNICEF Representative in Moldova Alexandra Yuster said during the launch of the report. The authors of the report says Moldova does not have special assistance programs for children who are more inclined to commit offenses. There are no community initiatives to eliminate the causes that make the children commit crimes or repeat them. Sorin Hanganu, coordinator of UNICEF Moldova child protection projects, said there should be designed programs that would analyze the causes of recidivism so as to avoid similar situations. The provisions regarding the punishment of younger children are not clearly defined. The report titled “Assessment of the accomplishments in the reform of the juvenile justice system in Moldova” was compiled within the Reform of the Juvenile Justice System in Moldova Project that is implemented by UNICEF with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.