violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

216Violence against Children in care and justice institutionsIn response to rising numbers of children’s casesof petty crime being dealt with by the formallegal system, local councils in Uganda havereceived training to strengthen their roles for theprotection of children in conflict with the law.Specific capacity-building initiatives and supportfor the local council committees have included:training on roles and jurisdiction in handlingchild-related cases, training on diversion measures,and capacity building on children’s rights,growth and development, rehabilitation andreintegration. The local councils handle childrelatedcases, but also refer some cases to policeand probation social welfare offices. The localcouncils also use alternative forms of punishmentsuch as compensation, apology and restitution,and have organised sensitisation campaignsdesigned to teach surrounding communitiesabout the value of non-custodial sanctions. Thisproject has helped to divert child-related casesfrom the formal justice system. 185In Malawi, Community Crime PreventionCommittees are combining traditional ways ofhandling children’s issues with current law. Thecommittees aim to divert children in conflictwith the law from the court system, by counsellingthe family and the child, and supportingthe child’s reintegration. To support the workof the committees, UNICEF also supportssensitisation to increase the awareness of parents,teachers and especially traditional leadersabout crime prevention and diversion possibilities.UNICEF Malawi reports that most pettycrimes are now addressed within the communitywithout police and judiciary involvement,and that both the number of court cases andlevels of recidivism have decreased. 186RecommendationsAll States have the obligation to protect all childrenfrom all forms of violence, wherever theyare placed and irrespective of who is providingtheir care. To effectively prevent and addressviolence against children in care and justicesystems, a range of actions must be taken, and avariety of organisations and constituencies needto be engaged. It is essential that action plans beformulated, costed and fully discussed in orderto bring societies ‘on board’ with their objectives.In doing so, the voices of children andtheir families must be listened to and heeded.For all care and justice settings1. Prohibit all violence in care and justicesystems. Governments should ensure thatsectoral laws applying to care and justicesystems reflect the State-wide legislativeprohibition on all forms of violence. Legalprohibition should be backed by detailedguidance for all involved.2. Ensure institutionalisation is a lastresort, and prioritise alternatives. Governmentsshould ensure that placement inan institutional setting is avoided whereverpossible, and a full range of alternativesshould be available for both care and justicesystems.3. Ensure quality staffing and training.Governments should ensure that staffrecruitment, training and employmentpolicies, and rights-based codes of conductensure that all those who work with childrenin care and justice systems are both