Africa-Press – Mauritius. A two-day workshop focusing on ‘The role of Ombudsman and mediators in monitoring the situation of children in conflict with the law and deprived of their liberty’, opened, this morning, in the presence of the Vice-President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Marie Cyril Eddy Boissézon, at the Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre-Bornes.
The workshop is a joint initiative of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children in collaboration with the International Ombudsman Institute. In his address, Vice-President Eddy Boissézon commended the interventions of the Ombudsperson for Children’s Office of Mauritius which, he said, had always been motivated by the best interest of children since its setting up in 2003.
“It has since then advocated for children’s rights, their best interest and protection in all circumstances,” he stated.
Moreover, the Vice-President lauded the dedication of the Ombudsperson for Children of the Republic of Mauritius, Mrs Rita Venkatasawmy, whom, he emphasised, had always promoted the interest of children in both public and private spheres.
He stressed that Mrs Rita Venkatasawmy had been given enough mechanisms to exercise her mandate in the context of achieving her mission. “As for Mauritius, the Government endeavours to uphold its international obligations within the country’s domestic realities in line with the international convention and treaties,” pointed out Mr Eddy Boissézon.
He underlined that a number of policies, action plans and programmes had been adopted to ensure that children in conflict with the law were treated with dignity and respect and that their rights were protected and they were given every opportunity to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.
“Salient measures include the elaboration of the Children’s Act 2020, together with the Children’s Court Act 2020 and the Child Sex Offender Register Act 2020, as well as the setting up of the Children’s Court,” he recalled.
As regards the case of children in conflict with the law, the Vice-President underlined the need to understand the reasons behind their behaviours as well as measures to address their vulnerabilities and rehabilitation.
Furthermore, he dwelt on the importance of guidance from parents, of regular communication between the parents and children, and of education to ensure that children were conforming to the laws and could differentiate between right and wrong behaviours.
For her part, the Ombudsperson for Children of the Republic of Mauritius, Mrs Rita Venkatasawmy, dwelt on the role of Ombudsman institutions in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, good administration, the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedom.
Speaking about her mandate as Ombudsperson for Children, she stated that she worked to ensure that the rights, needs and interests of children were given full consideration by public bodies, private authorities, individuals and association of individuals.
As regards, criminal responsibility for children in Mauritius, Mrs Rita Venkatasawmy informed that as per the Children’s Act 2020, the minimum age of criminal responsibility was set at 14 years old.
She stressed that the Children’s Act 2020 aimed at respecting the best interest of juvenile offenders and ensuring their rehabilitation, while expressing conviction that it could contribute to divert children away from formal justice processes to effective programmes.
Besides, the Ombudsperson for Children of the Republic of Mauritius called on the need for concerned officers to be appropriately trained on the rights of children and to master the laws of the Republic.
She mentioned the necessity to embrace the spirit of the convention and international principles related to rights of the child in the juvenile justice system, along with the need to give a child in conflict in law a court appointed lawyer to strengthen his rights in criminal proceedings.
In her concluding remarks, she underscored the importance of ensuring continuous provision of quality education to children in conflict with the law so that they could successfully reintegrate into society.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
