Protecting Children: “Children and the Law”

Welcome to the introductory edition of “Children and the Law” column brought to you by the Institute for the Advancement of Children’s Rights (IACR) in collaboration with The Point Newspaper.

This initiative is part of ongoing IACR efforts to sensitise and raise awareness on topical issues pertaining to juvenile justice in particular and children’s rights in general.

Good progress has been registered in the field of juvenile justice in The Gambia with the Children’s Act of 2005 as its centerpiece. The increase in the number of children’s courts is also a welcome boost in ensuring timely and effective justice for children in conflict with the law.

However, there is still an imperative need for greater understanding of the concept of juvenile justice and the broader issues it encapsulates, amongst stakeholders. The absence of such appreciation could and does often lead to inadvertent secondary victimization of children in conflict with the law.

It is our objective to use this column to raise awareness amongst key stakeholders in the juvenile justice system and help realise the promise of the Children’s Act of 2005 for a fully-fledged and effective juvenile justice system. The column can be followed on the first and last Thursday of every calendar month commencing from Thursday the 6th of October 2016.

The Institute for the Advancement of Children’s Rights(IACR) was established in December 2013 by Gambian Lawyer Malick H.B. Jallow Esq. who is also the President of the Institute The institute for the advancement of children’s rights is a non governmental, non profit, impartial and non partisan organization with a mandate to promote and protect the rights of children in the Gambia through the provision of legal support and assistance to indigent children in conflict with the law.

The institute also seeks to help build a preventive strategy to address the root-causes to why such children get into conflict with the law. To that end, the institute aims to improve the effectiveness and implementation of domestic, African and international human rights instruments on rights of children, including the children’s act of the Gambia 2005, the African charter on the rights and welfare of the child and the convention on the rights of the child.

Looking forward to your anticipated interest!

Thank you

Barrister Malick H.B. Jallow Esq.

Founder/President IACR