Juvenile justice
Towards the establishment of child friendly benches
Creating child friendly courts
Authors:
M. Koome
Publisher:
African Child Policy Forum, 2007
This presentation addresses how the Children Act 2001 has been interpreted to address the concerns of children in relation to their interaction with the judicial system. It includes a brief description of the Children’s Act 2001. It looks at how the Act protects the child in court procedures, examines the protection of children’s human rights in the Act and looks at law in relation to adoption.
The authors conclude that children will always come into contact or conflict with the law and that it is therefore important to establish child friendly benches in all the courts including the highest courts. In order to secure their best interest judicial officers, the police, probation department, prosecution and legal counsels must all strive to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the guiding principals of promoting the best interest of a child. The authors suggest that they should also familiarise themselves perhaps through short courses with the provisions of the Children Act, the CRC and the ACRWC.
