Ashgabat, 6 June 2012 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) welcomes Turkmenistan's adoption of the General Programme on Juvenile Justice System Development that will help to prevent delinquencies among children under eighteen. The juvenile justice programme was developed in partnership with UNICEF, National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights, law enforcement agencies and public organizations of Turkmenistan.    

The Programme, symbolically signed by the President of Turkmenistan on the International Child Protection Day on 1 June, aims at aligning Turkmenistan’s legislation, policies and practices with international juvenile justice norms to respect the rights and freedoms as well as to ensure effective prevention and just and effective response to the needs of children in conflict with the law and their rehabilitation.

The General Programme on Juvenile Justice System Development outlines key principles in addressing the needs of young offenders. The first principle states that persons under eighteen must be treated separately from adult offenders taking into account their special needs and vulnerability. The second principle is about prevention which is a cornerstone of the juvenile justice system. The third principle outlines that rehabilitation and reintegration are the key response measures with regards to young people in conflict with the law. Where possible, children under eighteen must be treated outside the formal criminal justice system and putting children under detention before and after a trial must be the last resort and for the shortest acceptable time.   

While signing the document, the President of Turkmenistan noted that this document was "an important step towards further improvement of the judicial processes in the country on the basis of truly humanistic principles, inherent in the people of Turkmenistan from time immemorial, as well as the universal norms of international law." 


For more information please contact:

Mr. Shohrat Orazov
UNICEF Social Policy Officer
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Ms. Gulyalek Soltanova
UNICEF Communication Officer
Phone: +99312 425681/82/85/86
Fax: +99312 425779
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Web: http://www.unicef.org/turkmenistan