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AHC, as an organization with a long
experience in the area of protection of and respect for
human rights in general, and groups in need in
particular, began the implementation of the project
„Respecting the highest interest of the child – an
obligation for all”. This project is financially
supported by the Soros Foundation and Cordaid.
The main goal of the project is to
contribute to enhancing care for children with a view to
preventing their contact with the judicial system as
well as to improving their treatment by this system, led
by the principle of the child's highest interests. This
goal will be achieved by making juveniles aware of and
by sensitizing them and the public about the situation
of respect for the rights of juveniles coming to contact
with juvenile penal justice and by recommending measures
to improve their treatment.
The project has been built on two main
pillars: The first pillar – Juvenile justice and
treatment of juvenile perpetrators, and the second
pillar – Lobbying with policymakers and decisionmakers
for greater respect for the children's highest interest,
encouraging the participation of juveniles and the media
in this process, as well as the improvement of
legislation and the process of its implementation.
During the implementation of this
project, there will be an evaluation of final judicial
decisions involving juvenile perpetrators of penal
offences and the progress of judicial processes
involving juveniles. The evaluation will include the
period of 2005 and the first half of 2006 and continuing
processes. The project will be carried out in Tiranė,
Korēė, Vlorė, Gjirokastėr, Shkodėr, Elbasan, and Fier.
The monitoring will focus on issues such
as: deadlines for proceedings, legal defense for
juveniles, their treatment during a judicial process,
analysis of social and economic circumstances during
which the juvenile acted, and the extent and manner in
which these are taken into consideration by the court
when it rules, as well as the respect for juveniles'
rights to a due legal process.
At the conclusion of the study, AHC will
make recommendations and proposals for interventions
necessary to improve the treatment of juveniles in
judicial processes, as well as to sensitize other
society structures, such as schools and juveniles
themselves, to support children in need and to minimize
risk as much as possible.
The project will be implemented in
keeping with the AHC's new strategy, whereby groups in
need such as children, community groups – in particular
Roma and Egyptian ones – will be at the focus of AHC
activities, by contributing not only to drafting
policies, but also to lobbying for their implementation
at the interest of children and groups in need.
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