UNICEF advocates for focus shift in juvenile justice

UNICEF says it is necessary to reform the judicial system for children in Moldova so as to pay greater attention to the rehabilitation of children. At a roundtable meeting organized on Friday by the ombudswoman for children's rights, UNICEF representative Alexandru Stratulat said the organization intends to shift emphasis from punishment to rehabilitation, replacing the notion of “juvenile justice” to “justice for children”, Info-Prim Neo reports. “There isn't only juvenile delinquency, there are also juveniles involved in a way or another in other offenses. These are in particular the children who are witnesses or became victims of violence, sexual abuse or other kinds of crimes”, said the UNICEF representative. Alexandru Stratulat suggested that standard punishments should be replaced with alternative forms that would make the children understand their fault. He saluted in this context the opening of the Special School in Solinet for children with behavioral problems. Until recently this institution was a correctional facility for 10-15-year-olds, but from September its disciples have been reintegrated into society. Also this year, on the occasion of the visit to Moldova made by the renowned human rights activist Robert Badinter, all the solitaries for children were closed. The government and civil society have undertaken the mission to carry out a broader reform of the judicial system for children, including through the introduction of specialized courts of law, with special lawyers, prosecutors and judges, Alexandru Stratulat said. Another necessity for the children, the UNICEF representative said, is inclusive education, that is, access to education for all, regardless of the children's physical or mental capacities, nationality or place of origin. For this to happen, supplementary effort is sought from the social assistance system to assist the local authorities in helping children reach school. A relevant example is the activity of the social assistant in Schinoasa village, who helped the mayor's office organize a shuttle to carry Roma children to the closest school 7 kilometers away. In the case of children with disabilities, they receive education from the parents and in very rare cases teachers visit them at home. But in most cases, the parents choose institutionalization for their children, who are more or less disadvantaged by this solution, because the standards are lower in these schools. “Society has a different attitude towards the persons with disabilities, which is an inherent issue. But lately the Education Ministry has been trying, as part of the Education Reform, to avoid institutionalization”, said the UNICEF representative. UNICEF welcomes in this context the rectification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities this summer and expects its implementation as soon as possible.