OSCE supports the rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile offenders in Tajikistan

On 17 and 18 August 2023, the Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a two-day training for social workers and psychologists in Dushanbe. The training aimed to teach techniques for rehabilitating juvenile offenders and preparing them for reintegration into society after serving their sentences.  

The Office is working with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population to implement the government’s National Programme for Rehabilitation and Social Integration of Juveniles for 2020-2024.   

“Today’s training for social workers and psychologists is just one step towards fulfilling this plan. The role that these professionals play in the lives of juvenile offenders can contribute to their success or failure upon their release,” said Rati Japaridze, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe. 

The training brought together a total of 25 social workers and psychologists of which 15 were female participants. The training addresses the needs of both male and female juvenile offenders and is the latest example of OSCE support to the juvenile colony in Dushanbe. Last year the Office provided a heating system and developed risk assessment and classification tools to aid colony authorities in establishing a case management system based on international standards.  

This activity assists the Government of Tajikistan to fulfil the OSCE Commitments related to the structural components of a Democratic society and the 2006 Brussels Declaration on Criminal Justice.