Juvenile Justice Initiative
The Juvenile Justice Initiative supports implementation and operationalisation of the GCTF’s Neuchâtel Memorandum on Good Practices for Juvenile Justice in a Counterterrorism Context through regional and sector-specific capacity-building and the development of practitioner-oriented tools for those managing juvenile cases. The IIJ is proud to have played a key role in the development of these important good practices, and is now a leading implementer, working with criminal justice practitioners at the national, regional and sectoral levels.
This Initiative has included the development of the IIJ Juvenile Justice Toolkit, and a highly successful series of regional workshops supporting operationalisation of the Neuchâtel Memorandum good practices.
Current work is focused on supporting practitioners at the sectoral level. Integrating perspectives, lessons learned and challenges identified by practitioners in five IIJ-led regional workshops throughout 2018 and 2019, the IIJ has developed a set of Practitioners’ Notes – one each for prosecutors, judges, investigators, defence counsels and detention officials – to support and guide operationalisation of the Neuchâtel Memorandum.
The IIJ is also working at the national level, at the request of partner governments, to support practitioners in their specific contexts.
With support from the
The IIJ developed the IIJ Juvenile Justice Notes for Practitioners, a set of five practice guides – one each for investigators, prosecutors, judges, defence counsel, and detention personnel to provide practical guidance on how to implement the GCTF Neuchâtel Memorandum on Good Practices for Juvenile Justice in a Counterterrorism Context and to provide examples of how countries have already implemented some of its principles.
The IIJ would like to thank the Government of the United States for its generous support for this project as well as practitioners and officers of international organisations for their contributions to research, writing, coordinating and reviewing of the IIJ Juvenile Justice Notes for Practitioners.
Notes for Practitioners
The IIJ Juvenile Justice Notes for Practitioners offer “action points” to guide Defence Counsel, Detention Personnel, Investigators, Judges and Prosecutors to employ and promote effective practices to treat children in terrorism-related offences.
Defence Counsel
Detention Personnel
Investigators
Prosecutors
Judges
Sustainable Impact: IIJ Alumnae operationalising the Neuchâtel Good Practices
The IIJ Juvenile Justice Initiative is not only impacting the individual practitioners with whom we work, but it is delivering sustainable impact for national institutions.
A recent example from Thailand:
IIJ-led capacity-building on juvenile diversion programmes as an alternative to prosecution so changed the perspectives of two alumnae from Thailand that they were determined to share the benefits of their training with their fellow national prosecutors.
Ms. Thiraporn Suriseehasathian (pictured), Provincial Public Prosecutor, and Ms. Uthaiwan Jamsutee, Senior Expert Public Prosecutor, both from the Department of Juvenile Litigation, Office of the Attorney General (OAG), were so empowered by what they had learned that they took the initiative to translate into Thai action points from the new IIJ Prosecutors’ Juvenile Justice Practitioner Note, based on the Neuchâtel Good Practices. Then, they worked with the Department of Juvenile Litigation in Thailand’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to conduct training on juvenile diversion for 80 public prosecutors.
By initiating this national-level training, these alumnae are not only paying forward the benefit of their IIJ training, but they are serving as ambassadors for the further implementation of the GCTF’s Neuchâtel Good Practices and the treatment of children in their jurisdiction.
In Action
IIJ Juvenile Justice Initiative: Central Africa Sub Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in a Counter-Terrorism Context
IIJ Juvenile Justice Initiative: Southeast Asia Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in a Counter-Terrorism Context
IIJ Juvenile Justice Initiative: Joint OPDAT–IIJ Workshop on Justice for Children in Terrorism Cases in Burkina Faso
IIJ Juvenile Justice Initiative: Second Niger Workshop on Justice for Children in Terrorism Cases
