Syed Hussein Al -Qassab
The Shura Council discusses during its session, on Sunday, the report of the Women and Child Affairs Committee on a draft law to amend some provisions of the law of reform justice for children and protect them from ill -treatment issued by Law No. 4 of 2021, accompanying Decree No. 95 of 2024. The draft law aims to ensure the contribution of the Child Protection Center in preparing judicial tests for children, increasing the measures that can be taken towards the child, enabling the concerned authority At the Ministry of Interior, from participating in following up the affairs of children, submitting an application for termination, amendment or replacement of the measure at any time without adherence to a period, and the permit to judge in crimes with measures when an excuse or a reduced circumstance in the crime is available. It also aims to enable the court to monitor the extent of progress the child achieves during the implementation of the punishment, support and support the Child Protection Center in follow -up, and to enhance control over the implementation of measures.
For its part, the Ministry of Social Development stated that the new draft law aims to improve and develop reform measures related to children and facilitate their implementation effectively, indicating that this project enhances the role of the Child Protection Center in protecting children and implementing its duties in cooperation with the Children’s Correctional Court. She added that the project provides an opportunity to implement new and innovative measures to achieve optimal reform, as well as the project expands the scope of procedures and measures available to achieve the best results for children, and therefore the ministry agrees with what was stated in the draft law.
In turn, the Ministry of Interior affirmed that the law of reformist justice for children and protecting them from abuse represents one of the advanced legislative initiatives that have received extensive praises, but some applied aspects of the law have revealed the need to make certain amendments to ensure the achievement of the desired goals effectively and integrated. She stressed the importance of keeping pace with the developments and challenges that may occur during its application, in order to provide the best possible solutions, indicating that it is consistent with what was stated in the draft law, noting its keenness to enhance cooperation and joint work to ensure its success and achieve its goals.
For its part, the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments expressed its full support for the draft law as one of the prominent legislative initiatives that are in line with the pioneering trends of the Kingdom in developing the legislative system. She pointed out that the law aims to enhance the efforts made to protect the rights of the child, by enabling the competent authorities to follow its affairs in a comprehensive and effective manner.
Al -Adl indicated that the project focuses on simplifying the procedures for issuing and completing reform measures in line with the child’s interest. She stressed the importance of strengthening the mechanisms of control over the implementation of these measures to ensure the greatest efficiency in the reformist justice system, explaining that this system will contribute to establishing more flexible and comprehensive justice that takes into account the best interest of the child in all procedures.
On the other hand, the Women and Child Affairs Committee explained that the draft law creates a new measure that includes preventing the child from entering specific websites for periods ranging from two hours to 12 hours a day, taking into account the child’s right to education and work and exercising his religious rituals, including achieving a balance between reform penalties and basic child rights.
She indicated that the draft law grants the Child Protection Center with the competent authority in the Ministry of Interior, according to the case, the issue of coordination with the Correctional Court of Justice when putting the child under the judicial test; This confirms the role of the Child Protection Center as an institution that follows the Ministry of Social Development, and gives it the necessary powers to oversee the children subject to the judicial test.
The committee stressed that this contributes to providing psychological and social support for children and ensuring their follow -up and families periodically, and the draft law shows its keenness to enhance cooperation between the Child Protection Center and other relevant parties to ensure the achievement of reform justice in the interest of the child’s best child.
