scholarly journals The Right of child offenders to intermediary assistance in the criminal justice system: A South African perspective

Author(s):  
Mildred Bekink

The right of a child offender to participate effectively in criminal proceedings is a fundamental aspects of a right to a fair trial and is guaranteed in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 as well as in international instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. An arguments is made that ensuring that this right is fully realised at domestic level, allowances should be made for child offenders to be included in the provisions of section170A of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977. Section 170A makes allowances for the use of an intermediary by witnesses and victims when presenting testimony in criminal proceedings. It is argued that the best interest of the child principles as well as other rights such as the right to dignity and equality enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed in international instruments warrants the inclusion of child offenders in the enabling legislation. An interpretation and implementation of Section 170A of the Criminal Procedure Act in line with the Constitution and international instruments that gives recognition to the child offender’s vulnerability and enforces the best interests of the child offender is accordingly advocated

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-215
Author(s):  
Anne Egan

Maintaining a relationship between parents and children following the breakdown of a marriage or relationship can be fraught with difficulties, particularly where acrimony exists between parents. This article explores the right of a non-custodial parent to have access to their child under Irish law and discusses the results of an interview-based study undertaken by the author using qualitative research methods. The interviewees in the study included practitioners as well as separated, divorced and unmarried fathers and mothers who outlined their views on access and the study found that the majority of non-custodial parents had some level of access to their child. The article further outlines the author’s experience of successfully applying to attend family court as a bona fide researcher and discusses some of the results of observations in those courts which reinforced the results of the interview-based study. Article 9(3) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states that in the event of separation of parents, it is the right of the child to maintain personal relations and contact with both parents. Article 7(1) of the Convention further supports the right of a child to be cared for by his or her parents. These articles have proved useful for fathers’ rights campaigners who advocate that they should have more contact with their children post-separation. The Convention, however, while ratified by Ireland, has not yet been incorporated into Irish law. The article concludes by examining whether the incorporation of the Convention would advance the rights of Irish children to maintain a relationship with their parents, unless such a relationship would be contrary to the children’s best interests. In light of this, this article examines the proposed wording of the Constitutional Referendum on Children which was published in early 2010 and assesses what impact the passing of such a referendum would have on children’s rights in Ireland.


Author(s):  
Elena Arce Jiménez

Resumen: Las dificultades para ser escuchado del menor extranjero en cualquier procedimiento que le afecte ponen de relieve las deficiencias generales existentes en nuestro ordenamiento jurídico para hacer efectivos los derechos de los que son titulares las personas menores de edad, sean extranjeras o no. Se analiza en primer lugar el artículo 12 de la Convención de los Derechos del niño, las condiciones imprescindibles para para hacer efectivo el derecho a ser escuchado y la conexión que existe entre ese derecho y la consideración primordial de su interés superior. A continuación se hace un repaso de la regulación española de los procedimientos de repatriación de menores extranjeros no acompañados a la luz del interés superior del menor y su derecho a ser escuchado. Abstract: The current challenges that migrant children face to have their right to be heard fulfilled and respected, put in evidence the general deficiencies of our legal system ensuring  the effective enjoyment of children rights, irrespective if the children in question are migrant or not. At the outset, article12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its content is analysed, including the essential requirements for an effective implementation and enjoyment of the right to be heard and its linkages with the best interest of the child as the primary consideration. An analysis of the Spanish regulations under the return procedures for unaccompanied foreignchildren is also provided in light of the respect of the best interests of the child and their right to be heard.


Author(s):  
V. Dorina

The article is devoted to ensuring the best interest of the child and his right to education. Attention is paid to the problems associated with the implementation of this right by various groups of children, depending on their social status and ethnic origin. The author draws attention to the implementation of the law under study in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated the problems of gender inequality, the quality of educational services, as well as access to them. The need for certain actions on the part of the state is indicated, in particular, making changes to the curricula to bring them in line with the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in order to realize the right to education of the child from the standpoint of ensuring the best interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 1102-1115
Author(s):  
Botirjon Khayitbayevich Ruzmetov

In this article author had searched the questions devoted the protection of human rights in the criminal procedure legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan and comparing with the legislation and worldwide experience of the foreign states.The article reveals the ongoing liberalization of the criminal law policy in the Republic of Uzbekistan, which is aimed at expanding human and fair norms, strengthening the protection of the rights, legitimate interests of a person andsociety. Against this background, the significance of investigative actions and the theory of evidence in the country's criminal procedural legislation is being revised. The development of science and technology leads to the improvement of methods of committing crimes using computer technology, taking into account which the timely disclosure and effective investigation of socially dangerous acts requires extensive use of mathematical tools and computer technologies.In this regard, changes are taking place in the investigative practice aimed at increasing knowledge in the field of computer technologies among law enforcement officials and increasing the responsibility of the personal of the investigative and judicial authorities in the implementation of their activities.The author emphasizes that despite significant restrictions on the rights and legitimate interests of a person in the conduct of investigative actions, all of them are necessary for obtaining sufficient evidence to expose the guilt of the offender, in the manner prescribed by law.Compliance by investigators, prosecutors and judges of all criminal procedural requirements established by the legislation of the country is a key requirement for the recognition of evidence as lawful and sufficient for a fair sentence.It should be noted that the article highlights that, since 1994, the Criminal Procedure Code of Uzbekistan enshrines the right to defense by involving a lawyer in the case from the moment a person is detained on suspicion of committing a crime, as well as the principle of equality of arms in criminal proceedings. An addition to the liberalization of legislation is the fact that now the courts are freed from such unusual functions as the execution of court decisions.In addition, the article expands on the author's proposals for improving the legislation of Uzbekistan, as well as expanding the power of lawyers, especially in the conduct of investigative actions, aimed at expanding the process of liberalization of criminal law in the country and improving the situation with the protection of human rights in the investigation of criminal cases.


Youth Justice ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-284
Author(s):  
Louise Forde

The right of the child defendant to participate effectively in criminal proceedings is a fundamental aspect of the right to a fair trial, and is guaranteed under a number of international instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ensuring that the right is realised at the domestic level requires States to take positive steps to facilitate the child’s effective participation. This article examines how the child’s participation is supported through statutory provisions and by the courts in Ireland and New Zealand. The discussion highlights challenges and positive steps taken to facilitate effective participation in domestic law.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 757-795
Author(s):  
Swagata Raha

This article examines whether international human rights law (ihrl) allows States to make exceptions based on the serious nature of the crime alleged and the age of a child accused of an offence. It specifically analyses the compatibility with ihrl of India’s Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which allows children 16 or above and accused of heinous offences to be tried as adults. The central argument is that trial and punishment of children as adults, for any offence, violates the right to non-discrimination recognised under ihrl as well as the principle of best interest, reintegration objective of juvenile justice and rights of juveniles provided in the UN Convention on Rights of the Child, 1989 and other international instruments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-125
Author(s):  
Ante Novokmet

The Act on Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act (NN 70/2017) introduced, into the Croatian legal system, the Directive 2013/48/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and European arrest warrant proceedings as well as the right to have a third party informed upon deprivation of liberty and to communicate with third persons and with consular authorities while deprived of liberty. This paper contains the analysis of the nomotechnical solutions after the implementation of the Directive 2013/48/EU in the Republic of Croatia. In addition, particular attention has been given to the new substantive term of the suspect and its practical implications in different stages of the Croatian criminal procedure with special reference to effects and perception of the implementation of the Directive 2013/48/EU in Croatian criminal procedure. The paper criticizes some domestic legal solutions and offer different approach, with respect to the trends that have been noticed after amendment of the Croatian Criminal Procedure Act.


Author(s):  
Yerbol Omarov ◽  
Adil Inkarbekov

Kazakhstan has adopted a policy of procedural economy, which is expressed in the acceleration of the pas-sage of criminal cases at all stages of the criminal process. The introduction of many new procedural institu-tions and forms of pre-trial investigation, the updating of criminal procedure legislation actualizes the issue of investigating the procedural status of the victim. The modern domestic criminal process should provide a balance between numerous novelties and procedural rules designed to ensure compliance with the principle of competition and equality of the parties to the prosecution and defense. In accordance with this principle, "the parties involved in criminal proceedings are equal, that is, they are given equal opportunities to defend their position in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the CPC. The authors have studied international documents regarding the regulation of the rights of victims in criminal proceedings. The victim is one of the Central figures in the criminal process, especially if it is a crime against the person, and must have broad rights to protect their interests. In this regard, the issue of choosing a preventive measure against a suspect (accused), taking into account the opinion of the victim, is of particular importance. The authors studied the opinions of scientists and practitioners on the issue under consideration, as well as the provisions of criminal procedure legislation regulating the rights and obliga-tions of the victim, the ratio of General and special norms. As a result, the authors concluded that it is necessary to grant the victim the right to Express his opinion on the use or non-use of coercive measures against the suspect. In the course of studying this issue, the authors applied methods of comparative analysis, deduction, forecasting, and others. On the basis of the research, appropriate recommendations were developed to improve the legal regulation of the rights of the victim in criminal proceedings of the Republic of Kazakhstan.


2017 ◽  
pp. 67-86
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Krajewski

The Constitutional Tribunal is defined as the Polish constitutional court and at the same time the judicial authority. It was created at the turn of 1982. Not long after that it began its jurisprudence; more precisely it was in 1986. Describing its basic tasks, it is pointed out that judicial review of so-called constitutional law deserves a closer look. This is particularly true about controlling the compliance of lower legal norms with higher legal norms. Here attention is drawn towards the connection of the Constitution with some international agreements, ie. the court of law. The purpose of the paper below was to analyze the constitutional principles of criminal proceedings in the context of the case law of the Polish Constitutional Court. At the beginning the concept, the division and the role of the constitutional rules of criminal procedure were presented. In this section, it was emphasized that all the rules of the criminal process are considered superior norms of a very significant social importance. Then the principle of objectivity, which is reflected in the Constitution of the Republic, was described. A following aspect was the discussion of the principle of the presumption of innocence and the principle of in dubio pro reo. It has been emphasized that the essence of the principle is that the person who was brought before the court is treated as innocent until a lawful judgment is pronounced against the defendant. The author also pointed out the principle of the right to defense. According to this rule, the defendant has the right to defend themselves in the process and to use the help of a defender. Another described principle is so-called rule of publicity. It concerns the fact that information about criminal proceedings should be accessible to the public. Then it was pointed to the principle of the right to the trial and the independence of the judiciary. The first one is reflected in national law and acts of international rank. The second shows that the independence of the judiciary is determined by the proper exercise of the profession of judge and becomes a guarantee of freedom and civil rights. The humanitarian principle and the principle of participation of the social factor in the penal process are shown in the final section. At the end of the paper a summary and conclusions were presented.


Author(s):  
Яна Валерьевна Самиулина

В настоящей статье предпринята попытка исследовать отдельные проблемные аспекты института потерпевшего в российском уголовном процессе. В этих целях подвергнуты анализу правовые нормы, регламентирующие его процессуальный статус. Раскрываются отдельные пробелы уголовно-процессуального законодательства в сфере защиты законных прав и интересов потерпевшего. Автор акцентирует внимание на том, что совершенствование уголовно-процессуального законодательства в части расширения правомочий потерпевшего по отстаиванию своих нарушенных преступлением прав следует продолжить. На основании проведенного исследования действующего законодательства в части регламентации прав потерпевшего от преступления предлагается расширить перечень получаемых им копий постановлений, указанных в п. 13 ч. 2 ст. 42 УПК РФ. Автор предлагает включить в перечень указанной законодательной нормы право получения потерпевшим копии постановления об избрании конкретного вида меры пресечения, избранного в отношении подозреваемого (обвиняемого). Для создания действенного механизма защиты интересов потерпевших от преступления юридических лиц предлагаем ч. 9 ст. 42 УПК РФ изложить в следующей редакции: «в случае признания потерпевшим юридического лица его процессуальное право в уголовном процессе осуществляет представляющий его профессиональный адвокат». This article attempts to investigate certain problematic aspects of the institution of the victim in the Russian criminal process. For this purpose, analyzed the individual norms governing his procedural status. Separate gaps of the criminal procedure legislation in the sphere of protection of the legal rights and interests of the victim are disclosed. The author emphasizes that the improvement of the criminal procedure legislation in terms of the extension of the victim’s authority to defend his rights violated by the crime should be continued. On the basis of the study of the current legislation regarding the regulation of the rights of the victim of a crime, it is proposed to expand the list of decisions received by him, referred to in paragraph 13, part 2 of article 42 Code of Criminal Procedure. The author proposes to include in the list of the indicated legislative norm the right to receive the victim a copy of the decision on the selection of a specific type of preventive measure, selected in relation to the suspect (accused). To create an effective mechanism for protecting the interests of legal entities victims of a crime, we offer part 9 of art. 42 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation shall be reworded as follows: «if a legal entity is recognized as a victim, his procedural right in criminal proceedings is exercised by the professional lawyer representing him».


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