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UNICEF Rep in Armenia says juveniles often exposed to ill treatment in Armenia
ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 13, 16:15
UNICEF together with the European Union, Human Rights Defender's
Officem tge Civil Society Institute, and in partnership with
Penal Reform International launched today findings of a study on
ill-treatment and torture of juveniles in Armenia in the context of
juvenile justice.
The study, which was carried out within the framework of the EU-funded
project "Reaching Critical Mass: Consolidation of Juvenile Justice
System Reforms Against Torture and Other Forms of Ill-Treatment
in European Neighborhood Countries," reveals a number of serious
violations of the rights of juveniles before and during trial as well
as while serving their sentence in penitentiaries.
Out of 82 juveniles interviewed for the study, 21 percent said they
were not informed of the reasons of their arrest. Another 42 percent
said they did not read the protocols of the arrest before signing them,
and 32 percent said they have never been told of their rights.
The study revealed that most of the juveniles had no lawyers. Violence
is the most common method of the police to obtain confession.
"The UN Convention on Child Rights envisages development and
implementation of a comprehensive policy on juvenile justice, whereas
today the protection of juvenile delinquents in Armenia in not
undertaken with efficiency," Armenia's Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan said.
"Policy and legislation are not the only sectors where actions
are required to ensure the protection of children exposed to
ill-treatment. Effective intervention in support to the victims, and
prevention initiatives, require setup of cooperating mechanism among
various professionals, from the police and justice representatives
to social workers and psychologists," said Ms. Henriette Ahrens,
UNICEF Representative in Armenia.
"The European Union is committed to supporting the establishment of
a comprehensive juvenile justice system, and in particular reforms
against torture and ill-treatment " said Mr. Onno Simons, First
Counselor of the EU Delegation to Armenia. He also touched upon the
findings of the report and urged for measures to address those.
The 3.5 year project "Reaching Critical Mass: Consolidation of Juvenile
Justice System Reforms Against Torture and Other Forms of Ill-Treatment
in European Neighborhood Countries" is being implemented in the EU
neighborhood countries and aims at supporting legislative reforms in
the area of juvenile justice, capacity building of juvenile justice
professionals, development of alternatives to imprisonment, research
on rehabilitation needs of victims of torture and ill- treatment by
monitoring bodies and human rights of NGOs. The total cost of the
project is 1.5 million EUR. EU provided 1,2 million EUR of the total
amount. UNICEF allocated 300,000 EUR.
From: Baghdasarian
ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 13, 16:15
UNICEF together with the European Union, Human Rights Defender's
Officem tge Civil Society Institute, and in partnership with
Penal Reform International launched today findings of a study on
ill-treatment and torture of juveniles in Armenia in the context of
juvenile justice.
The study, which was carried out within the framework of the EU-funded
project "Reaching Critical Mass: Consolidation of Juvenile Justice
System Reforms Against Torture and Other Forms of Ill-Treatment
in European Neighborhood Countries," reveals a number of serious
violations of the rights of juveniles before and during trial as well
as while serving their sentence in penitentiaries.
Out of 82 juveniles interviewed for the study, 21 percent said they
were not informed of the reasons of their arrest. Another 42 percent
said they did not read the protocols of the arrest before signing them,
and 32 percent said they have never been told of their rights.
The study revealed that most of the juveniles had no lawyers. Violence
is the most common method of the police to obtain confession.
"The UN Convention on Child Rights envisages development and
implementation of a comprehensive policy on juvenile justice, whereas
today the protection of juvenile delinquents in Armenia in not
undertaken with efficiency," Armenia's Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan said.
"Policy and legislation are not the only sectors where actions
are required to ensure the protection of children exposed to
ill-treatment. Effective intervention in support to the victims, and
prevention initiatives, require setup of cooperating mechanism among
various professionals, from the police and justice representatives
to social workers and psychologists," said Ms. Henriette Ahrens,
UNICEF Representative in Armenia.
"The European Union is committed to supporting the establishment of
a comprehensive juvenile justice system, and in particular reforms
against torture and ill-treatment " said Mr. Onno Simons, First
Counselor of the EU Delegation to Armenia. He also touched upon the
findings of the report and urged for measures to address those.
The 3.5 year project "Reaching Critical Mass: Consolidation of Juvenile
Justice System Reforms Against Torture and Other Forms of Ill-Treatment
in European Neighborhood Countries" is being implemented in the EU
neighborhood countries and aims at supporting legislative reforms in
the area of juvenile justice, capacity building of juvenile justice
professionals, development of alternatives to imprisonment, research
on rehabilitation needs of victims of torture and ill- treatment by
monitoring bodies and human rights of NGOs. The total cost of the
project is 1.5 million EUR. EU provided 1,2 million EUR of the total
amount. UNICEF allocated 300,000 EUR.
From: Baghdasarian