OSCE Mission to Skopje supports training on juvenile justice law

SKOPJE, 23 October 2008 - The new law on juvenile justice will be presented to judges, prosecutors, attorneys, police inspectors, and social workers at a workshop starting in Struga today.

The seminar is the sixth and final event organized in accordance with the National Action Plan for Implementation of the Law on Juvenile Justice, and with the support of the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje and the Council for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (CPJD). Some 180 stakeholders in total have been educated about the new juvenile justice system, which goes into effect on 1 January.

"These activities are important steps towards establishing an efficient juvenile justice system in the country, and will help the government to achieve its goal of implementing the national action plan on time," said Holger Hembach, Head of the Judicial Reform Programme at the OSCE Mission's Rule of Law Department.

Judge Lazar Nanev, President of CPJD, added: "The seminars have helped to ensure that the new law will be applied by professionals who are prepared to face the challenges of juvenile justice."

National experts and staff at the OSCE Mission and UNICEF developed the training modules for the seminars.