To enhance justice for children in Bhutan

A two week Child Justice Summer school, the first to be held by the JSW Law and UNICEF to  enhance access to justice for children in Bhutan ended yesterday.

Held at the JSW Law campus in Pangbisa, Paro, the summer school is informed by the findings of a needs assessment on children’s access to justice and was organised to equip core service providers with the knowledge and skills necessary to advocate for the rights of children within the justice system.

“This summer school was conceived to address this very need for ongoing dialogue, education and capacity building. Our goal is to empower participants with knowledge and skills necessary to advocate for and implement effective access to justice for children” the Dean of JSW Law, Sangay Dorjee, said.

The needs assessment found that various training sessions done in the past lacked a targeted focus on key aspects of the child justice system. Among others, the assessment found that the salient training needs surfaced in domains such as child psychology and development, child-friendly procedures, restorative justice tenets, pertinent legal frameworks, and trauma-informed care.  Enhancing child psychology understanding among teachers and parents, it found, would also serve to better promote children’s developmental needs.

The Child Justice Summer School was designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the legal and social frameworks that govern child justice. Through interactive sessions, case studies, and group discussions, participants explored a range of topics, including child protection, rights-based approaches to justice, and the role of various stakeholders in safeguarding the rights of children.

“For UNICEF, justice for children means that justice is accessible, age appropriate, speedy, diligent, adapted to and focused on the needs and rights of the child.   UNICEF is proud to support this commendable initiative by the JSW School of Law to enhance child justice,” UNICEF Representative, Andrea James said.

This programme represents a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and effective approach to justice, ensuring that the needs of children are met with the care and attention they deserve.

The programme had 20 participants from the Judiciary, the Office of the Attorney General, the Royal Bhutan Police, Nazhoen Lamtoen, and the PEMA Secretariat.