Children’s Court by year end

By the end of the year, children who have committed crimes, will be tried in a children’s court, separate and apart from the adult courts. The announcement was made by Supt Beverly Rodriguez of the Child Protection Unit on Wednesday, during the weekly police press briefing in Port of Spain.

Rodriguez said there would be three buildings that would house the children’s courts, in Port of Spain, Fyzabad and Tobago.

The court would seek to treat children in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention established basic rights of a child, which include the right to life, to their own name and identity, to be raised by their parents within a family or cultural grouping, and to have a relationship with both parents, even if they are separated.

Yesterday Rodriguez said the child courts will seek to embark on restorative justice, rather than punitive. Children will be sent to counselling, and the court would even try to operate in a preventative manner.

Children who have committed serious offences, like murder, rape and robbery, would also have to depend on the judgement of the children’s court.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi told Newsday yesterday that the launch of the courts is the fruit of 14 months of work by government, the judiciary, the Children’s Authority and the police. Al-Rawi said the work included the amendment of 18 bills of law, the renovation of three buildings to house the court, the hiring of 13,000 people who would run and maintain each court and interaction with American lawmakers in an effort change classifications of crimes to include children who have committed these crimes.

Al-Rawi said the Youth Training Centre has been turned into a child rehab centre, which will join the other children’s homes in rehabilitating wayward children. Some of its methods would include peer resolution and drug treatment counselling.

“This is a huge achievement on the part of the government, and I must tip my hat to the judiciary, the Children’s Authority and all those involved in the launching of this court.” Al Rawi said.

Rodriguez explained that the CPU, “as the name suggests, is responsible for protecting children from criminal harm.

The CPU has been able to and continues to positively impact the rights and well-being of children by ensuring reports of abuse committed against children are investigated and accused persons prosecuted...