OSCE Mission and Bosnia and Herzegovina government work together to improve juvenile justice system
SARAJEVO, 1 December 2006 - The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina will commence its project in Sarajevo today to improve the response of the country's authorities to juvenile offenses in accordance with international standards on child protection.
Towards this end, the Mission's field teams will start working hand-in-hand with juvenile justice practitioners from the police, the judiciary, the penitentiary and the social welfare authorities in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Zenica, Bijeljina, Livno, Bihac, Foca, Doboj and Trebinje.
There are a number of problematic issues within the juvenile justice system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, resulting in breaches of the rights of these children; they are often not treated as required by the law and as necessary for their rehabilitation. For instance, the lack of adequate, specialized juvenile institutions and the lack of by-laws and procedures for the execution of juvenile sanctions are one of the many, pressing problems.
In every justice system, a high percentage of recidivism among juvenile offenders in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an indicator that the system is not working well. The country's Strategy Against Juvenile Offences adopted by the Council of Ministers in July this year is a good starting point to address these issues.
The relevant authorities must be informed about the strategy at all levels and begin implementing it, with the necessary budgetary allocations. Based on findings from this project, the OSCE Mission intends to make valuable contributions to the ongoing reform process.