Children found to have a committed a crime have a better chance at rehabilitation if they undergo a rehabilitation program.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya says their proposed diversion program under the Draft Child Bill aims to rehabilitate children who are presented at police stations for a crime.
“There is scientific evidence and also empirical evidence that when you divert children from the criminal justice system, they have a better chance of rehabilitation,” Ms Tabuya said.
Recent concerns expressed by the Fiji Police Force on the raising of the criminal responsibility age from 10 to 14, the minister says, is understandable but research has found that children have a better chance at improving if they are rehabilitated outside of the criminal justice system.
“In fact, the Fiji Police Force should be happy.
“This actually relieves them of their work. There will be less children in the justice system.
“What the Child Bill is proposing is when a child between the ages of 10 and 14 is presented at a police station for committing a crime there is a diversion process.
“In fact, that child is diverted from the criminal justice system and from the police handling them and they will be diverted to a program that will help them to rehabilitate.”
She says currently children presented for a crime are being put in juvenile centres and incarcerated.
“That does nothing for them and the evidence shows that when you put children in a prison, they are three to four times be a repeat offender.
“So, we need to try it this way and it is aligned with the Convention to the Rights of a Child which Fiji has ratified.
“We have to look at our children that they will still be rehabilitated otherwise we will be dealing with adults who need to be rehabilitated and that is too late,” she said.
