Professor Robin Walker Sterling, Law Consultant, University of Ghana, has underscore the need for the establishment of remand homes for juvenile offenders in all the ten regions of the country.
She said having such facilities across the country would reduce the stress parents go through to visit their wards in custody in Accra, saying, juveniles convicted should not be far away from their parents.
Madam Sterling said this at a review meeting organized by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection under the auspices of United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with support from Canada and Law and Development Associates in Ho, as part of efforts at addressing existing gaps in the law relating to children in Ghana in the Juvenile Justice Act, (JJA) 2003.
She said it was important for the country to go by the child Detention Act, which stated that a juvenile shall be dealt with in a manner which was different from an adult, except under exceptional circumstances under section 17.
Madam Sterling said the existing legal frameworks in the Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 had very limited measures designed to protect the safety of child victims and witnesses of crimes and said it must be given a second look.
She urged the media to desist from sensationalizing children’s issues in their reports.
GNA/Newsghana.com.gh
