‘Round table’ discussions on Juvenile Justice issues had been conducted

The NGO will prepare an Annual Report on the Juvenile Justice system in Azerbaijan

‘Round table’ discussions on Juvenile Justice issues had been conducted

The NGO will prepare an Annual Report on the Juvenile Justice system in Azerbaijan

Starting form April of 2023, the “Annual Report on the Juvenile Justice System in Azerbaijan” project is being implemented by the “Legal Analysis and Research” Public Union within the project “Protecting human rights of vulnerable groups in Azerbaijan” implemented by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with the financial support of the European Union.

As a part of the project a ‘round table’ discussions had been conducted on the issues of the child-friendly justice system in Azerbaijan and the perspectives of the implementation of the UN Child Rights Committee recommendations on improvement of the juvenile justice system in Azerbaijan with the participation of the relevant state, non-government and international agencies and organizations.

Concrete suggestions of the following issues have been raised and discussed:

Administration of child justice

  • Recognizing the establishment of the Agency for State Support to NGOs, UN CRC recommends that the Azerbaijan continue to increase support to, and recognition of, NGOs to further facilitate registration and access to funding opportunities, and to systematically involve NGOs and academia in policymaking, programming and legislative processes concerning children’s rights.

To establish a comprehensive child justice system, designate specialized judges and prosecutors and psychologists for children and ensure that they receive specialized training;

To apply a child-centred approach, instead of a crime-centred one, in determining the minimum age of criminal responsibility and set the age of 16 as an age below which children cannot be held responsible in criminal law, without exception;

To ensure that due process rights are respected and that children benefit from free and quality legal aid from the investigation onwards;

To promote non-judicial measures, such as diversion, mediation and counselling, for children accused of criminal offences, wherever possible;

To strengthen the probation system and further use other non-custodial sentences, such as community service;

To ensure that detention is used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time and is reviewed on a regular basis with a view to its withdrawal;

Where deprivation of liberty is used as a measure of last resort, to ensure that children are not detained together with adults, that the conditions and treatment comply with the Convention and the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, including with regard to access to education, sports and health services;

To develop and apply social services for children below the age of criminal responsibility;

To further develop community-based services and family support and reintegration services with the aim of preventing reoffending among children, particularly for children from economically disadvantaged families, children in street situations and children without parental care.

– Develop age-appropriate, child-friendly justice mechanisms and remedies to challenge all decisions related to asylum and migration status and provide access to free legal aid and the necessary assistance to the children concerned.

At the end of the current year, “Legal Analysis and Research” Public Union will prepare the “Annual Report on the Juvenile Justice System in Azerbaijan” as the conclusion of the project.