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Summary: A report highlighting the growing epidemic of violence against children in conflict with the law, and presenting a non-violent vision of juvenile justice.
As a follow-up to the 2006 UN Study on Violence against Children, The International NGO Council on Violence Against Children (INCO), will be launching its latest report, "Creating a non-violent juvenile justice system", in New York on 16 October. This report has been written to address the growing epidemic and global magnitude of the violence being experienced by children in juvenile justice systems. Whilst aspiring to clarify the many ways in which governments are failing to protect children in conflict with the law, the report also presents a non-violent vision of juvenile justice.
Background to the report:
Children in conflict with the law are now legally entitled to special consideration, and countries around the world are obligated to ensure that all children grow, develop, thrive and reach their full potential. As an integral part of this, justice systems must be designed and administered to respect children’s rights.
While children’s rights are unquestionably interdependent and require broad, comprehensive support, of critical importance to children in conflict with the law is the right to be protected from violence. From the moment of their apprehension through to their eventual release, children in conflict with the law risk traumatic and systematic exposure to violence. It seems, increasingly, that juvenile justice systems are perpetrating the very same violence against children that inspired their creation.
In recognition of this growing epidemic, the United Nations Secretary-General in 2006 published a World Report on Violence Against Children to examine the nature, extent and global magnitude of the violence experienced by children across all settings, including juvenile justice. The International NGO Council on Violence Against Children has been thus made responsible for ensuring that this work remains relevant, that its findings are disseminated, and that its recommendations are followed. Whilst international human rights standards have set clear obligations on States with regards to juvenile justice, there is little progress and in fact, many countries are moving backwards. It is clear that not enough progress has been made toward the elimination of violence against children in conflict with the law.
Consequently, the Council has published a report which reiterates the message that the non-violent juvenile justice imperative must be revisited. The report aspires not only to clarify the many ways in which governments fail to protect children in conflict with the law, but also to present a non-violent vision of juvenile justice. In effect, the Council proposes a model for what a non-violent system would look like.
The report illustrates the violent realities of juvenile justice by taking the reader through a hypothetical journey which compares the two systems (violent and non-violent) side by side. This journey is based on juvenile justice laws, policies, practices, reports, studies and anecdotes from around the world. By presenting information in this way, this report not only highlights the ways in which flawed juvenile justice systems perpetuate violence against children, but also shows how these systems can be reformed to ensure that each and every child who comes in conflict with the law is fully protected from all forms of violence.
