Nicaragua

Restorative juvenile justice and prevention of urban juvenile violence

Since 2008 Terre des hommes (Tdh) carries out in Nicaragua childhood protection projects in the fields of restorative justice and prevention of urban violence among young people. 2011 more than 41,000 people benfited from the activities of Tdh.

The context

Nicaragua is the poorest country in Latin America. Socio-political stability is precarious and rates of urban violence, which are already very high, are constantly rising – as in the rest of the continent. To ensure that its actions have long-lasting effect, Tdh works in close collaboration with state judicial bodies. The government has shown great openness and a genuine willingness to improve its juvenile justice system. This means that Tdh has access to all individuals working in the juvenile justice administration system throughout the whole country.

Our intervention

Restorative juvenile justice – Terre des hommes is committed to encouraging judicial systems to consider sanctions other than imprisonment. These sanctions must be educational and not simply repressive in order to effectively prevent re-offending. When offenders recognise their responsibility, they have the opportunity to undertake training and receive psychosocial care. The child or adolescent thus takes an active role in his or her own social reintegration.
In this model of judicial intervention based on education and social reintegration, the rights of the victim are also preserved and the role of the community is recognised.

Prevention of juvenile crime – At the request of the authorities, Tdh supports the national police force’s Juvenile Unit in prevention activities targeted at sensitive neighbourhoods particularly exposed to poverty and violence. By providing arenas for play, cultural exchange, personal development and community dialogue, Tdh prevents young people from becoming involved in gangs and organised crime.

Regional standard-bearer – Having implemented this child protection project across the whole country, Nicaragua is in the process of strengthening its comprehensive, integrated coverage of juvenile crime and violence. The second operational phase of the project, launched in 2011 for a period of three years, will consolidate the solid legal practices acquired thus far so that the country can establish its position as a regional standard-bearer in dealing with juvenile crime.

• -86.251631 12.141762

  Managua

• -86.094732 11.972494

  Masaya

• -83.741456 12.57601

  Bluefields

• -85.959291 11.931684

  Granada