August 31, 2022 | 21:10 (GMT+7)
Vietnam takes significant steps toward a comprehensive child justice law
PANO - A consultation workshop was held on August 31 in Hanoi by the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam and UNICEF with the support of the European Union Justice and Legal Empowerment Program (E.U. JULE) to learn from the experience of countries that have adopted child justice laws.
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Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh addresses the workshop. |
By sharing international and regional experiences and best practices, the workshop served as a forum to discuss strategic measures to improve justice for minors and to develop an outline for a comprehensive child justice law.
“The ideas and recommendations of experts and participants are important contribution for the Supreme People's Court to consider and propose the National Assembly Standing Committee to include the juvenile justice law project in the Law and Ordinance Development Program in 2023,” said Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh.
In the recent years, the Vietnamese government has made considerable effort to reform legislation pertaining to justice for minors in recent years. However, special handling measures for minors in conflict with the law are still scattered across the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, and Law on Handling of Administrative Violations. This results in fragmentation and challenges in ensuring coherent, effective and efficient implementation.
“UNICEF is fully engaged with this significant step toward a comprehensive Law on Justice for Minors. We applaud the adoption of a holistic approach to introduce strategic changes for increased access to justice for all minors in conflict with the law, as well as victims and witnesses of crime,” said Lesley Miller, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam.
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UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam Lesley Miller speaks at the event. |
The workshop drew the participation of international keynote speakers, experts from relevant committees of the National Assembly, line ministries, professional and mass organizations, supreme and provincial courts, and development agencies. Issues discussed included the need of an effective inter-agency collaboration and coordination; child- and gender-sensitive handling of minors; a coherent continuum of sanctions and measures; the role of social workers in all stages of the child justice procedures; and the development of social welfare services for community-based rehabilitation of minors.
Translated by Chung Anh