Afghanistan: District Police - Training Impact Assessment
17 Jul 2012 Juvenile justiceAfghanistan
Terre des hommes Foundation Child Relief (Tdh) has been working in Afghanistan since 1995 and has carried out projects related to health, child protection and rural development. In 2011, approximately, 270,000 people benefited from Tdh activities, funded among others by Tdh Foundation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the European Commission, Caritas Germany and Liechtenstein Cooperation.
The Child Rights Consortium III Programme (CRC III) is a program implemented jointly by three NGOs: two Afghan – Aschiana and Loy Kandahar Reconstruction Organization (LKRO), and one International-Terre des hommes. Lead and administered by Terre des hommes and funded by the European Commission, the CRC III has been operating in the area of juvenile justice since 2008 with the objective of assisting Afghan government institutions to ensure a protective and child right based setting for children in conflict with the law.
There is recognition throughout the criminal justice sector in Afghanistan that while many new laws have been introduced in the last decade the capacity of juvenile justice stakeholders to meet the requirements of these laws needs to be strengthened. With the support of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior and Police Academy the CRC III has developed and delivered this training to police officers on child rights and juvenile justice.
In 2009, an assessment on juvenile justice in Afghanistan was conducted by an international consultant for the CRC III. This assessment highlighted the gaps in the juvenile justice system in Afghanistan regarding diversion, alternatives to detention and the requirement for more capacity building for police officers in the areas of juvenile justice and child rights. Since this time CRC III has held a number of workshops for example “The Juvenile Justice System in Afghanistan and the Alternatives to Detention for Children in Conflict with the Law” workshop in Kabul in October 2009, workshops entitled “Workshop on the Implementation of a Comprehensive Restorative Justice for Juveniles in Afghanistan” were held in 2010 and 2011. This police officer training built on the lessons learnt and recommendations from previous workshops held by CRC III.
