Third and Fourth Periodic Report on CRC - Unicef

<strong>Third</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Fourth</strong> <strong>Periodic</strong> <strong>Report</strong>
<strong>and</strong> consequences of their actions. In a country where birth registration is some 10 percent, it is very likely that
children in conflict with law are often deprived of age-appropriate protections. Moreover, the current protections
for children in contact with juvenile justice system do not extend to all children under the age of 18. Under the
Children Act, 1974 ‘child’ <strong>and</strong> ‘youthful offender’ are defined as a person under the age of 16.
There are three integrated juvenile correction centres in Bangladesh, each comprising a permanent Juvenile
Court. They are known as Kishor Unnayan Kendra (KUK). They have a combined capacity of 500 children.
During the last five years, 2932 adolescents have been rehabilitated from these centres. Plan for construction
of two more centres for girls have been approved.
The powers of a Juvenile Court can be exercised by the High Court, a Court of Session, Court of
Additional/Assistant Sessions Judge, <strong>and</strong> a Magistrate of the First Class for those areas where no Juvenile
Court has been established.
Lack of knowledge of the concerned personnel such as police, social welfare officers <strong>and</strong> others about national
<strong>and</strong> international legal st<strong>and</strong>ards affecting children is a major problem in juvenile justice system in Bangladesh.
The other areas were found in that exercise to require attention:
Coordination among concerned ministries, agencies, departments <strong>and</strong> organizations;
Limited Infrastructure; <strong>and</strong>
Promotion of non-denial freedom measures <strong>and</strong> alternative to institutionalisation.
Table 8.2: Key Statistics on Juvenile Justice, Bangladesh
Child population below 18 years
59 million
Minimum age of criminal responsibility
9 years
Age when children can be punished as adults
16 years
Ages when children treated as adults
16-18 years
Number of children Development Centres (KUK) 3
Based on the assessment, the Government in association with UNICEF arranged training for police officers,
judges <strong>and</strong> other officials on child rights for last few years. New training materials on juvenile justice were
prepared, which include the H<strong>and</strong> Book for Police <strong>and</strong> Bench Books for Judges <strong>and</strong> Magistrates on Children in
Contact with the Juvenile Justice System. Moreover, the international instruments on juvenile justice <strong>and</strong> noncustodial
measures have been printed for wider dissemination.
In 2006, key juvenile justice actors including UN agencies, donors, national <strong>and</strong> international NGOs established
a Juvenile Justice Roundtable (JJR) aiming at supporting the Government in conducting a comprehensive
reform of the Juvenile Justice system based on international experience which has shown that isolated <strong>and</strong>
fragmented interventions cannot bring tangible results for children. The JJR arranges training, technical
consultations <strong>and</strong> other supports towards establishing an appropriate juvenile justice system in the country.
The Government has established a committee to review the laws relating to juvenile justice which will consider
the age for criminal responsibility (in line with CRC) along with other priority issues. The Government has also
appointed a high level Juvenile Justice Tasks Force, <strong>and</strong> has identified priority areas of action. The need for
comprehensive legal reform has been identified as crucial because the Children Act, in some respects, fails to
fully reflect the principles of CRC. The Government has taken initiative to establish 4 juvenile sessions courts
at Divisional levels. A new National Social Policy on Models of Care <strong>and</strong> Protection for Children in Contact with
the Law has been drafted to address children in conflict with the law.
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