Ministry of Justice, UNICEF, and IRP signed a Memorandum to reduce the number of children in contact with the justice system
16 August 2019
- UNICEF and the Ministry of Justice aim to offer all children a justice system that is sensitive to their age and gender and that protects them from violence, abuse and neglect while preventing them from entering in conflict with the law. A new project will ensure the increase the number of children who are diverted from the criminal justice system by being referred to community services, thus contributing to children’s social reintegration.
The 150 thousand Euro project will ensure the diversion mechanisms are modeled and institutionalized.
Necessary tools and instruments will be developed for professionals working with children, at least 50 children offenders will benefit of specialized assistance, and 20 mediators will receive specialized training on working with children in criminal proceedings.
”The project wil ensure that there will be a qualified response in the case of every child coming in conflict with the law, in at least 5 districts: Balti municipality, Ungheni, Orhei, Causeni and Leova, through a strong inter-sectorial cooperation mechanism, which will be institutionalized over the next 1.5 years,” said Nune Mangasaryan, UNICEF Representative to Moldova.
With UNICEF support, IRP will develop and test a national prevention program for diverted children, and will develop capacities of prosecutors, child protection specialists, psychologists, probation officers and social workers.
The project is in line with UNICEF priorities for ensuring children’s access to child friendly justice, with the government priorities set up in the Justice Sector Reform Strategy for 2011-2016, and targets the harmonisation with European trends.
At present, circa 1,000 criminal cases are initiated against children at annual basis with 50% of those reaching a court decision.
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