Uchenna Johnson
Awka
The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) has called on the Abia State Government to establish Child-Friendly Justice and Diversion Centres to promote rehabilitation and restorative justice for children who come into conflict with the law.
The Executive Director of the CEHRAWS, Mr Chuka Okoye made the appeal in an open letter addressed to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, and his wife, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti.
In the letter, Okoye urged the government to build on its numerous achievements by establishing Child-Friendly Justice and Diversion Centres, describing the initiative as a major reform that would position Abia among Nigeria’s leading child-rights compliant states.
He cited the recent expansion of child-friendly justice and diversion programmes by the Lagos State Government, with support from UNICEF, as a model worthy of emulation, noting that children who commit minor offences should be rehabilitated rather than unnecessarily criminalised.
According to the CEHRAWS boss, many children who come into conflict with the law are victims of poverty, neglect, abuse, broken homes, peer pressure, drug addiction and other adverse social conditions rather than hardened criminals.
He insisted that a child-friendly justice system considers a child’s age, emotional development and best interests, while providing counselling, family intervention, education, behavioural therapy, vocational training and rehabilitation instead of detention or prolonged criminal trials.
“Diversion centres are not prisons but safe facilities where psychologists, social workers, counsellors, legal practitioners and child protection professionals work together to help children reform and reintegrate into society.
“The proposal is backed by the 1999 Constitution, the Child Rights Act 2003, the Abia State Child Rights Law, the Administration of Criminal Justice framework and international child rights instruments, all of which encourage rehabilitation and diversion for children in conflict with the law where appropriate.
“Establishing the centres would help prevent juvenile delinquency, reduce youth crime, discourage repeat offending, ease prison congestion and protect children from the long-term stigma associated with criminal prosecution,” he said
The group also said the initiative would strengthen collaboration among the Ministries of Justice, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and Basic and Secondary Education, as well as the judiciary, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Correctional Service, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, faith-based organisations and development partners, including UNICEF.
CEHRAWS urged Governor Otti to direct relevant ministries, departments and agencies to commence the policy and legislative processes required to establish the centres across the state, appealing to the First Lady to champion a statewide campaign for restorative juvenile justice and comprehensive child protection.
It pledged its readiness to partner with the Abia State Government, UNICEF, the Child Protection Network and other stakeholders in designing and implementing the proposed reform.
It maintained that societies become safer by creating opportunities for children to reform rather than by relying solely on punitive measures, adding that children should be defined by the opportunities they are given to learn, change and succeed, not by mistakes made at an early age.
