Roundtable on Restorative justice and victim-offender mediation - dispute resolution alternatives for juveniles in conflict with the law

The event, jointly organized by the General Directorate of Probation Service and AFCR, with the supported from UNICEF, was held on 5 May 2017. It was organized in the framework of the project “Strengthening the role of Probation Service in supporting the reintegration of juveniles in conflict with the law through restorative justice".

The roundtable was attended by UNICEF representatives, probation staff, and mediators. The goal of the meeting was to share the experience gained in the implementation of the project “Integration of juveniles in conflict with the law through restorative justice”, exchange ideas on dealing with the challenges faced and also promote the new developments in the juvenile justice area. Welcome speeches were delivered by the UNICEF Country Representative, the General Director of Probation Service and AFCR. The speakers highlighted the importance of a justice system approach supporting minors in conflict with the law, the implementation of alternative measures for juveniles and the special qualification of professionals and mediators dealing with juvenile cases. The meeting was also used to inform the probation and mediation professionals of the newly adopted Criminal Justice for Children Code in particular with regard to the role and the place that restorative justice and mediation constitute in the Code. The Code will enter into force in January 2018. Brief information on the provisions regulating the diversion procedure to restorative justice and mediation was also presented. Probation representatives presented an overview of the work they do with juvenile offenders and the cooperation they have with civil society organizations to support the re-integration and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. AFCR representative provided an overview of the project outcomes: the progress and the challenges faced during the project implementation. The participants discussed on making the cooperation between the probation service and mediation service a sustainable one. The lack of public funds to support this cooperation in the future and the dependence from international organisations and donors support was clearly identified as a challenge that needs to be tackled by the national authorities.