Education and Training Centre for Children - Need for Minimum Standards

Juvenile Justice Unit Following a review of Criminal Justice System of the Maldives in 2004, Juvenile Justice Unit (JJU) was established in 2010, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. As part of the Child Protection System in Maldives, the mandate of JJU is to rehabilitate and reintegrate children in conflict with the law.

Key functions of JJU Formulating National Policies and Strategies Drafting of Juvenile Justice Act and formulation of rules, regulations and procedures Providing alternative measures for dealing with children in conflict with the law without resorting to judicial proceedings Providing rehabilitation, counselling and other interventions for juvenile offenders for reintegration Collecting information on juvenile delinquency, conducting research and creating a statistical database Managing of Correctional Training Centre for Children

ADVOCATING THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN ARC is an NGO established in 2009, to protect and promote the rights and well-being of children of Maldives. Main areas of work: – working with children’s shelters, – advocacy and raising awareness on the rights of children through national and international outreach.

ARC’s National Campaigns

Correctional Training Centre for Children Was formally established in July 2010 under JJU but was managed by Maldives Police Service Housed boys between the ages of 15 and 18 sent to the facility by a committee of stakeholders An SOP was established and a standard programme was conducted, with emphasis on providing a second chance for children in conflict with the law 52 children participated in the programme and was reintegrated to community Institution was closed in August 2013

Education & Training Centre for Children First state care facility opened in Maldives in 1997 for correctional purposes. ETCC later housed juvenile offenders sent under a court order as well as children in need of alternative care. In 2014, ETCC was handed over to the Juvenile Justice Unit (JJU), under the purview of the Ministry of home Affairs, facilitated by a two-year lease from the Ministry of Law and Gender. JJU has formulated a Standard Operating Procedure and requested for a permanent Correctional Centre for children in conflict with the law. ETCC has been functioning on a provisional basis and children have been placed there since August 2014.

Placement of children in ETCC No standards of admission or criteria set for placement of children in the shelter. Designed to house children between 13 to 18 years. However, an 8 and 11 year old were placed in ETCC in Due to shared mandates, juvenile offenders are placed under court orders, and children without criminal records are also placed in ETCC by the Ministry of Law and Gender.

Routine at ETCC Children are provided with: -Regular meals at set times. -Opportunity to contact parents if they wish, and allowed parental visits under supervised conditions. -Counseling on a weekly basis to monitor and document their well-being. The facility did not have the staff or resources to provide education or vocational training and only one child was sent to school in 2015.

Staff do not have adequate training. Violence occurs between children, following petty physical disagreements or as organized group assaults on specific children. There have been reports of violence towards children by staff members (e.g. corporal punishment, abuse). There have been reports of sexual activity between the children, which was also videoed by a staff. While brought to the attention of relevant government authorities, no steps were taken for months. Conditions at ETCC

Safety Hazards The building is unsafe and children are housed in old accommodation blocks previously used as storerooms. On several occassions, children have run away and forcibly returned to the shelter. There are no procedural guidelines to be followed in an emergency. There is a lack of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers.

Provisions for Reintegration The children are not brought into the shelter for a predetermined duration. While the goal is for children to be returned to society, there are not plans made to prepare them for reintegration. A SOP/ plan of action was recently formulated, aimed at teaching children skills and aptitudes needed to function independently in society upon reintegration. However, this was not implemented. ETCC also did not have any information regarding children who leave the Centre.

Challenges faced by JJU No permanent institution to rehabilitate children in conflict with the law Attitudes, customs and practice Frequent change of policies Lack of: › Multi-sectoral working › Awareness regarding the best practices › Technical staff › Proper laws to deal with children in conflict with the law

Recommendations and Conclusions Clearly define the purpose and mandate of ETCC Establish a separate shelter for children in conflict with the law Use detention as a last resort, for a minimum duration Use alternative methods, instead of depriving liberty Implement a Standard Operating Procedure Use a multidisciplinary response

Implement strong policies on reporting abuse in the shelter and take appropriate action to deal with such issues Provide adequate training for staff Provide education and/or vocational training and opportunities for play and leisure for children Conduct programmes to help children overcome abuse Make the premises safer and implement a safety and security mechanism Raise public awareness on the consequences of institutionalization, to reduce the number of children sent to shelters

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