DOVVSU intensifies education on juvenile justice

Published in the Daily Graphic on 8/07/2010, pg 11

Story: Matilda Attram
The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service has intensified its human rights advocacy programme on Juvenile Justice and Domestic Violence among schoolchildren to sensitise the children to their rights and juvenile offence. A juvenile is an individual under 18 years( a child), suspected to have committed an offence against the laws of a state.
Juvenile justice is, therefore, the dispensation of justice involving a juvenile. This is in conformity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations (UN) in 1948.
The UDHR recognises that children need special safeguards and appropriate legal protection. It therefore proclaims that every child should be given special care and assistance before and after birth, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity.
Due to this, the Juvenile Justice Act 653, 2003, was enacted to assist authorities to handle juveniles.
The project, which started with some selected basic schools in Accra, is to look at factors that account for juvenile delinquency, their psychological effects and impact on society, as well as ways to prevent it.
Speaking at the first outreach programme organised for pupils of the St Paul’s Catholic Basic Shoal in Accra, the Deputy Director of the Public Affairs Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ciphers Arthur, indicated that juvenile offenders included children who engaged in criminal and other activities which do not conform with societal norms.
According to him, although juveniles were crime suspects, they had their rights which needed to be protected.
He explained that the law believed juveniles could commit crimes without having knowledge on its consequences.
"Children are the vulnerable group in society and anyone who is vulnerable needs special care and protection," he added.
He mentioned the right to be questioned before a guardian or a lawyer, the rights to hide ones identity from the media, the rights to have a guardian informed of an arrest and the right to be granted bail on mild offences, as some of the rights of a juvenile offender.
ASP Arthur also stressed the need for authorities to seek the interest of a juvenile on suspected crime before taking decisions since that formed part of his or her rights.
He cautioned the pupils to stay away from activities that could cause their arrest and also advised them to be mindful of their rights in case they came into conflict with the law.
"Although juveniles have rights which must be protected, make sure you don't get yourself involved in any crime, but rather study hard to become responsible adults in future," he added.
Speaking on factors that lead to juvenile delinquency, a Clinical Psychologist of the Greater Accra Regional DOVVSU, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bismark Agyapong, explained that delinquency was a set of behaviours that were not in line with the collective practices and ethics of a dominant social group or society.
He stated that juvenile delinquency incorporated not only general criminal activities but also conduct that was unlawful for the youth such as skipping school.
He mentioned consistent conflicts within families leading to the lack of supervision on the part of parents, a distinct lack of parent-child attachment, poor home life quality and peer pressure as some factors that accounted for juvenile delinquency.
ASP Agyapong further indicated that some children became juvenile delinquents through psychological effects such as mental disorders, denial, depression and inconsistent discipline by parents, which could be prevented through counselling and responsible parenthood.
He advised the pupils to focus on their studies to enable them become responsible leaders in future.
The Public Affairs Officer of DOVVSU, Chief Inspector Irene Oppong, who took the pupils through the functions of DOVVSU, advised them to report to their parents, teachers or the police anytime they faced any form of sexual abuse and other abuses.