OSCE builds capacities of Tajik government officials and psychologists in providing justice for children

A three-day training seminar organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe for government officials and local psychologists on justice for children concluded on 17 November 2017 in Varzob, Tajikistan.

The training participants included staff of those agencies working directly on Tajikistan’s 2017-2021 Justice for Children Programme and Action Plan, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman.

The training, led by three international experts - one lawyer and two psychologists - combined the theoretical and practical aspects of working with children in contact with the justice system, including children at risk and children suspected of violating the law. Best practices in terms of law and policy, psychological assessments, and the significance of trauma, abuse and neglect on a child’s social, moral and cognitive development were among the training topics.  The experts’ extensive experience working directly with child clients ensured a strong practical perspective.

“This training course fits with the first steps of Tajikistan’s Justice for Children Action Plan, which was published this year and includes capacity-building for those government agencies tasked with bringing justice for children into practice,” said Charles Bolland, Rule of Law Officer at the OSCE Programme Office.