The Federal Government on Thursday inaugurated the Technical Committee on the Review of the Borstal Institutions and Remands Centre Act 2004 LFN.
The members consisting of 13 people including representative from UNICEF and UNIDO with a child rights expert, Mrs Ugona Edekwemu, as the team leader.
In his keynote address at the event, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN noted that millions of children in Africa and around the world had their rights violated.
Malami was represented by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Ejodamen Jeddy-Agba.
“Aside from being separated from their families and affected by exploitation, abuse and violence in their homes and communities, they were also denied access to education, health care and social benefits.
“A large number of children in Nigeria come in contact with the law as survivors of violence, but very few of those cases make it to the courtrooms,” he said.
He, therefore, said the government is committed to partnering with stakeholders to enhance reformation, reintegration and reunification of minors who came in contact with the law as offenders into the society.
Also speaking, the former Chief Judge, FCT High Court and Chairman Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, Justice Ishaq Bello, commended the government on past interventions.
Bello called for the need to amend the law of the juvenile justice system, encourage public support for rehabilitation and improved system of monitoring and evaluation in order to enhance socio-economic and political stability in the country.
“Assessment of my committee revealed the shortfalls of the present law as against the provisions of the Borstal Institutions and Remand Centers Act 2004, which allows for only the institutionalizations of offenders between the ages 16 to 21.
”Most of the children in the borstals are either below or above the age bracket.
” Children are not classified on the basis of their age, physical and mental health, length of stay, degree of delinquency and character.
”Factors like sequence of the delinquency, possibilities of functioning as a contamination risk and requirements of custody, educational background and vocational training needs of children are not taken into consideration”.
“Currently, there are only three borstal institutions in the country, while the Act provided for the establishment of borstals in each state of the Federation
“Time had come to reform the borstal institutions to achieve the goals for which they were established.
The Acting Director, Administration of Criminal Justice and Reforms Department, Mrs Leticia Ayoola-Daniels thanked the AGF for being in the forefront of the reform of the justice system and Decongestion of Correctional facilities nationwide.(NAN)
