CRC/C/MMR/CO/3-4
(b)
Increase awareness-raising, in particular among children and young
people, on the risks associated with trafficking and migration;
(c)
Address the root causes of trafficking;
(d)
Ensure that adequate measures are taken to hold perpetrators of child
sale, trafficking and abduction accountable for their offences;
(e)
Strengthen its efforts to ensure physical and psychological recovery and
social reintegration of children victims of exploitation and trafficking; and
(f)
Continue to seek assistance from, among others, UNICEF.
Administration of juvenile justice
93.
The Committee notes the progress made in the administration of juvenile justice and
the issuance in October 2010 of the Protocols on Child Friendly Police Investigations as a
national directive by the police force. However, the Committee is concerned about:
(a)
The provisions of the Child Law setting the age of criminal responsibility at 7
years, which is at a level well below internationally accepted standards;
(b)
The high number of children in pretrial detention;
(c)
The prevalence of physical punishment for children in contact or in conflict
with the law;
(d)
The existence of only two specialized juvenile courts covering limited parts
of the country and the lack of training provided to specialized judges;
(e)
The conditions of detention in police stations during the arrest and pretrial
detention, as well as in the prisons, which are very poor and do not respect strict separation
from adults, nor ensure the right to maintain contact with the family; and
(f)
The lack of appropriate measures in the juvenile justice system to facilitate
the social reintegration of children.
94.
The Committee recommends that the State party bring the juvenile justice
system fully in line with the Convention, in particular articles 37, 39 and 40, and with
other relevant standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for
the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules), the United Nations Guidelines
for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (Riyadh Guidelines), the United Nations
Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (Havana Rules), the
Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System and the
Committee’s general comment No. 10 (2007) on children’s rights in juvenile justice. In
particular, the Committee urges the State party to:
(a)
Amend the Child law to bring it in conformity with the Convention, in
particular by raising the legal age of criminal responsibility to an internationally
acceptable level, and in no case below the age of 12 years;
(b)
Ensure that pretrial detention is used only for serious crimes and that
alternative measures are used for other crimes;
(c)
Ensure that no child is subject to abuse and ill-treatment when in contact
or in conflict with the law;
(d)
Establish specialized juvenile courts with adequate human, technical and
financial resources throughout the territory of the State party, introduce specialized
judges for children in all the regions and ensure that such specialized judges receive
appropriate education and training;
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