Sudan: UNAMID supports the promotion of juvenile restorative justice in Zalingei

from the article on All Africa:

The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) concluded on 30 January 2013 a two-day workshop on restorative justice for juvenile offenders in Zalingei, Central Darfur. The workshop, which was attended by more than 32 participants, including teachers, police officers, civil servants and members of the civil society, was part of the efforts of the UNAMID's Human Rights Section to strengthen the capacity of the juvenile justice system players in applying restorative justice standards more effectively when dealing with children and young people in conflict with the law.

Feb 22, 2013 Country:Sudan, Juvenile, Practice, Region: Africa

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Child Justice Act undercut from within

from the article by Don Pinnock in the Mail & Guardian Online:

Even before it began the rocky climb through the parliamentary process, the Child Justice Bill was considered to be internationally path-breaking legislation. It was born in the euphoria of the early 1990s in a country where youth had been considered politically lethal, whipping was a sentence, imprisonment the standard response to wrongdoing and torture considered a legitimate interrogation method.

The new legislation sought to provide restorative justice by diverting child offenders from this punitive justice system and keeping them out of prisons, which simply hardened criminality. It devised ways to work with offenders and victims to restore harmony in the community where the crime took place. Punishment would be tailored to the crime and dealt in a way that maintained the self-respect of the offender as well as the approval of both community and victim.

Oct 07, 2011 Juvenile, Practice, Police, Guidelines, Country:South Africa, Policy, Region: Africa, Conceptual, Standards

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Effects of crime on kids underestimated

from Thabiso Thakali's article on iol.co.za:

...."The significance of this study was to capture unreported cases of crime and victimisation against young people," she said.

Leoschut said the study found that different types of crimes led to distinct forms of post-traumatic stress disorder among youths.

"A lot of them suffer from psychological stress and become more aggressive after being victimised."

Oct 30, 2009 Juvenile, Region: Africa, Support, Practice, Country:South Africa, Victim

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