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[BAGHDAD, 18 April 2006] - The Iraqi juvenile justice system has suffered from neglect and disruption caused by 25 years of crises, according to officials at the UN's Children's Agency, UNICEF. In an effort to improve the situation, UNICEF has joined local NGOs to work with vulnerable and marginalised groups in Iraq, with particular emphasis on the children currently in detention for criminal offences. "While it's critical to address how children in detention are being treated, it's also crucially important to focus on reducing the vulnerabilities and circumstances that push children…into lifestyles which often result in law-breaking and criminality," said Roger Wright, UNICEF's Special Representative for Iraq. Wright was speaking at a three-day conference held in Amman, Jordan, to discuss the matter with senior Iraqi government officials. Last week, UNICEF held a training session in Amman for Iraqis involved in the issue, including ministry officials. Follow-up training workshops will also be provided to Iraqi social workers and other personnel involved in Iraq's juvenile justice system. "Children have been arrested for incidents ranging from robbery to involvement in violent acts," said UNICEF Communication Officer Ban Dhayi. "Unicef encourages the Iraqi community and government to address the reasons why children commit these acts, in order to prevent their reoccurrence and help them change their lives for the better." The organisation has proposed a number of rehabilitation programmes for children. These include programmes aimed at helping children released from detention become reintegrated into society, as well as initiatives aimed at helping local institutions to guarantee the rights of former juvenile detainees. "We're enhancing knowledge and skills among social service providers to ensure that they know about children's rights," said Dhayi. "We're following international standards which promote the de-institutionalisation of children away from detention centres and into services that promote education and re-integration into the community." The children's agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, is also working to develop education programmes that would stress international norms regarding child detainees, the assessment of current laws and practices and legal reform. UNICEF, which will finance a number of the programmes, advocates reintegrating children into communities rather than placing them in institutions. The number of Iraqi children currently in detention is not known, given the prevailing environment of confusion. More information
pdf: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/fd259939f33ffedcc5621cacf7...