Following a series of consultations held earlier in the year, a copy of the new Child Justice Bill is now available on the Government of Anguilla’s website www.gov.ai. and on the Ministry of Social Development & Education’s Facebook page. Members of the public are encouraged to review the Bill and to provide any feedback that they may have to the Permanent Secretary, Social Development & Education, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake via email bonnie.lake@gov.ai
The Child Justice Bill is based on the OECS model legislation undertaken by Members States as part of the OECS Family Law Reform. UNICEF supported Anguilla in sourcing a consultant to draft the attached Child Justice Bill based on the OECS model bill and to adapt it to the local context, guided by drafting instructions provided by the Ministry of Social Development.
The Child Justice Bill seeks to introduce a child rights focused approach to working with juveniles in conflict with the law; including the advent of a legal aid service and a family court structure that are child friendly. It also seeks to formalize procedures from start to finish for an initial inquiry and assessment mechanism where the options of alternative sentencing such as diversion can be applied so that not all juvenile matters need to be directed to the court. These measures will eliminate the systemic problem where youth are unwittingly criminalised when matters are heard in the formal justice system. The Child Justice Bill will allow Anguilla to depart from punitive justice to a more restorative justice approach reversing the victimisation young offenders may face.
Members of the public are encouraged to review the Child Justice Bill found on the Government of Anguilla’s website www.gov.ai and the Ministry of Social Development & Education’s Facebook Page and provide any feedback to bonnie.lake@gov.ai
Ministry of Social Development & Education
27th October 2020
– Press Release
