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Contents:

1. Editorial
2. New resources
3. New books
4. Forthcoming events
5. Links

1. Editorial:

The Convention on the Rights of the Child celebrated the 20th anniversary of its adoption on the 20th November 2009, allowing us to take stock of the achievements in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child and the work still needed for all children to fully enjoy their rights.

In relation to juvenile justice, there have been many achievements in legislative and policy reform, but much still needs to be done to encourage greater implementation of the rights of the child, whether the child is in conflict with the law or whether he or she is a victim or a witness of crime.

Members of the Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice work to coordinate the provision of technical advice and assistance in juvenile justice in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international norms and standards. Countries are encouraged to adopt a comprehensive approach to juvenile justice reform, including through: policy and legal reform; data collection and information management systems; capacity building of all actors involved; strengthening institutional capacity, awareness raising and monitoring; and implementing child-friendly procedures and institutions for all children in contact with the justice system.

It is also important to adopt comprehensive national action plans on crime prevention and juvenile justice reform containing, in particular, specific targets for reducing the recourse to deprivation of liberty of children, especially at the pre-trial stages through the use of diversion, restorative justice and alternatives, prevention of child involvement in crime, reintegration of children in conflict with the law in their communities and child-friendly procedures for all children in contact with the justice system.

Juvenile justice actors are encouraged to use the technical assistance tools developed by the Panel and its members and to seek technical advice and assistance from members, in order to design, implement and monitor comprehensive juvenile justice policies and legislation in accordance with the rights of the child.

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2. Selected new resources on the Panel website:

Resources on the 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:

Draft recommendations as submitted by the thematic Working Groups
20th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, “Dignity, Development and Dialogue,” 8-9 October 2009, Geneva, Switzerland
October 2009 (EN)

Ensuring the Dignity of the Child – Prohibiting all Corporal Punishment
Statement Prepared for the Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 8-9 October 2009, Geneva, Switzerland
Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
October 2009 (EN)

What Happened? A study on the impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Five countries: Estonia, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and Yemen
Save the Children Sweden
2009 (EN)

General resources related to juvenile justice:

(a) Children in conflict with the law:

The Development of Juvenile Justice Systems in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Lessons from Albania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Ukraine
Daniel O’Donnell/ UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS
July 2009 (EN)

Regional and International Indicators on Juvenile Justice: Their Applicability and Relevance in Selected Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia
UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS
July 2009 (EN)

Education in Chains: Gaps in Education Provision to Children in Detention
An Overview of the Right to Education of Children in Detention
Defence for Children International (DCI)
August 2009 (EN, FR, SPA)

(b) Child victims and witnesses of crimes:

Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime: Model Law and Related Commentary (La justicia en asuntos concernientes a menores victimas y testigos de delitos: Ley modelo y comentario)
UNODC/ UNICEF
2009 (EN, SPA)

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3. New books on juvenile justice:

Blind Alley – Juvenile Justice in India
HAQ – Centre for Child Rights
November 2009 (EN)

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4. Forthcoming events:

To view the Calendar of events: www.juvenilejusticepanel.org/events/

PRI 20th Anniversary Event on “Penal Reform and Human Rights: 20 Years On”
Penal Reform International (PRI)
17:00-21:00, 11 December 2009
Museum of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland (flyer)

12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
12-19 April 2010
Salvador, Brazil

IAYFJM 18th International Congress on “United in Diversity: Juvenile Justice and Child Protection in the Principal Judicial Systems”
International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (IAYFJM)/ Tunisian Association of the Child's Right (ATUDE)
21-24 April 2010
Tunis, Tunisia

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5. New links from our website

UNICEF Website on the Convention on the Rights of the Child
http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/

International Juvenile Justice Observatory (IJJO)
Two Decades of Juvenile Justice Improvements since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
http://www.oijj.org/crc20/index.php


Yours sincerely,

The Newsletter Team.

About the Newsletter:
Editorial and English edition: Davinia Ovett Bondi, Secretariat Coordinator, IPJJ
French translation: Joëlle Saugy, Communications and Research Assistant, IPJJ
Spanish translation: Vera Winkelried
Please send us your comments to: newsletter@juvenilejusticepanel.org

Address:
Interagency Panel on Juvenile Justice, Secretariat, 1, rue de Varembé, P.O. Box 88, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, Tel: +41 (0) 22 734 05 58, Fax: +41 (0) 22 740 11 45
http://www.juvenilejusticepanel.org