November 2007

PRI was host to a regional conference on juvenile justice in Amman, Jordan, earlier this month, in cooperation with the Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS). The two-day event, which was sponsored by the Swedish Department for International Development (SIDA), brought together juvenile justice experts from across the Middle East and North Africa to review the implementation of juvenile justice reforms in the region.

The rights of the child in the Arab World have gained increased prominence in recent years. All countries have now signed the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and adopted the necessary legislation to support its implementation.

Although there is an undeniable political will across the region in favour of reform in the fields of child protection and juvenile justice, the reality on the ground, however, often reveals a different picture.

Conference delegates from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and Yemen  discussed some of the practical problems they have faced in implementing the necessary changes to ensure compliance with international obligations under the Convention.

A final declaration, which was agreed by all conference participants, made a number of recommendations to states in the region in response to the problems identified. They included:
 expediting the full implementation of the CRC and related international instruments;
 creating the legislative framework to support the use of alternatives to the deprivation of liberty at all stages of the criminal justice process;
 Improving coordination between juvenile justice services, including civil society organisations;
 developing programmes to support the re-integration of juveniles on release from detention;
 promoting the Arab Network for Juvenile Justice as a resource to share good practice
 encouraging public sensitisation and awareness of child rights.

In evaluating the conference, PRI’s Regional Director, Dr. Tahar Boumedra, said, 'The event has provided an invaluable opportunity to expose some of the challenges we face in the region to protect and promote the rights of children in conflict with the law. Whilst significant progress has been made in recognising the need for reform, concerted efforts are now needed to identify and implement the most effective methods for bringing about change. If successful, juvenile justice in the region will become a concept associated with prevention and education rather than punishment and security.'

Further information
The conference was organised as part of PRI’s three-year juvenile justice programme funded by the Swedish Department for International Development. For further information about PRI’s work in the region, please contact: priamman@penalreform.org

To support the implementation of juvenile justice reform in the region, PRI has recently translated and produced an Arabic version of the PRI-UNICEF Juvenile Justice Training Manual (2007). To order hard copies or a CD-rom of the manual, please contact the Amman office at the email address above.