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Child justice in Zimbabwe
Defence for Children International - Zimbabwe
November 23, 2011
As a society,
Zimbabwe has a long way to go to keep children out of the adult
system.
However, recent
events indicate that we are finally on the right track. The past
few years have seen a growing recognition by the Government, citizens,
researchers, juvenile justice professionals, and policymakers that
putting children behind bars should be the last resort.
On behalf of
the Defence for Children International Zimbabwe and the National
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Forum (NJJDPF), we are
pleased to provide these recommendations addressing much needed
policy and administrative advances to the President, the Prime minister
and Members of Senate and the Parliament
and all player involved in Juvenile Justice system of Zimbabwe .
This call for action prioritizes juvenile justice system reform
and urges:
- Swift appointment
of a Juvenile Justice monitoring And Delinquency Prevention Commission
in Zimbabwe (JJMDPC)
- The drafting
of a Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA);
and
- Ensuring
that implementation of all laws on Juvenile Justice meets the
needs of detained youth.
Juvenile justice
systems in Zimbabwe are in urgent need of reform. President Mugabe,
Prime Minister Tsvangirai, members of the Senate and Parliament
must immediately appoint a strong JJMDPC Administrator, set a clear
direction for Juvenile Justice reform and provide resources to all
provinces to help keep our youth and communities safe. With strong
bi-partisan leadership from the President, Senate and the Parliament,
the Juvenile Justice reforms are possible.
We make recommendations that the Government and our courts must
work hand in hand with more than 20 national organizations, including
youth - and family - serving, social justice, law enforcement, corrections,
and faith-based organizations, that work to ensure healthy families,
build strong communities and improve public safety by promoting
fair and effective policies, practices and programs for youth involved
or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile and criminal justice
systems around the country. The appointed the JJDPC's mission
should be to engage this broad spectrum of opinion leaders and stakeholders,
including the voices of those most affected by the juvenile justice
system, to:
- Advocate
for sensible and safe solutions to crime and delinquency;
- build and
leverage policy leadership in the field; and
- Serve as
a clearinghouse for research and best practices within our nation's
juvenile and criminal justice systems.
Visit the Defence
for Children International Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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