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PRI granted Observer Status to the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
PRI is delighted to have received Observer Status to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), which is mandated to protect the rights of children enshrined in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Representatives of PRI attended the current session of the Committee in […]
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PRI MENA celebrates World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse at the Rehabilitation Centre for Juveniles in Amman
On Monday, PRI’s Middle East and North Africa office celebrated World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse at the Rehabilitation Centre for Juveniles in Amman. The event was organised in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and was attended by 28 children detained at the centre, the Director of the Jordanian Juvenile Police, […]
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Bryan Stevenson: Why mass incarceration defines us as a society
Last June, in two cases brought by Bryan Stevenson, in a landmark judgment, the US Supreme Court ruled that sentencing children to life without parole including for murder, without ever giving them a chance to prove that he or she had been rehabilitated, constituted cruel and unusual punishment. As well as profiling Stevenson’s work to […]
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PRI MENA and the Yemeni Prison Directorate cooperate to protect vulnerable groups and train prison staff
Last week, Taghreed Jaber, Regional Director of PRI’s Middle East and North Africa (PRI MENA) office, and Yemen’s Prisons Director, Major General Mohamed Ali Alzelb, signed an agreement of cooperation for an initiative to protect vulnerable groups in Yemeni prisons and to provide training for Yemeni prison staff. The initiative is part of a wider […]
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Report from Conference on Violence against Children in Juvenile Justice Systems now available
This international conference on Violence against Children in Juvenile Justice Systems was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan jointly with UNICEF, with support from the European Union, the Department of International Development and the British Embassy in Bishkek. Participants from approximately 14 countries attended, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and […]
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Press release: Turning research into action to eliminate torture and ill-treatment of children in detention
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, 21 September 2012 —The Kyrgyz Parliament and Government are hosting an international conference today to reduce violence against children in conflict with the law with the support of The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Penal Reform International (PRI). Globally, the vast majority of children are detained for non-violent crimes including running away […]
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PRI publishes new research into violence against children in juvenile justice settings in eight countries
PRI has published new research examining law and policy in relation to violence against children in particular during arrest and in pre-trial detention in eight countries (Bangladesh, Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tanzania and Uganda). There are estimated to be over one million children in detention around the world, the vast majority detained for non-violent offences, […]
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PRI to address the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
On 26 March, PRI will address the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with an oral statement, and provided a submission, “Falling through the Cracks: Guidance on Implementation of Article 30” during its forthcoming 19th session. In the context of children of incarcerated parents, PRI’s […]
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PRI participates in discussion of the Rights of the Child at the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council
PRI participated in the Annual Day of Discussion on the rights of children during the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council today. PRI, in conjunction with OSJI and IJJO, submitted an oral statement to the Council highlighting the impact of extensive periods of pre-trial detention on the social and mental development of juveniles and […]
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PRI Launches a Ten-Point Plan for Fair and Effective Criminal Justice for Children
In December 2011, PRI launched its Ten-Point Plan for Fair and Effective Criminal Justice for Children. The Ten-Point Plan focuses on ways that law and policy makers and criminal justice practitioners can respond effectively and positively to children in contact and in conflict with the law. The Plan outlines PRI’s belief that a fair and […]