Judicial Symposium on Child Rights and the Juvenile Justice System commences with the participation of Judges of the Supreme Court, Attorney General, Speaker of the Parliament and Members of the Judicial Service Commission.
The conference was inaugurated by the Chief Justice at Supreme Court of Maldives Abdulla Saeed at a special function held at Bandos Island Resort.
Efforts are underway to strengthen the judicial system of the Maldives, Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed said while speaking at the opening of the symposium. Since the establishment of the dispute resolution at the civil resolution, works of the court has been made easier, the Chief Justice highlighted. Speaking regarding the Juvenile Justice, Abdulla Saeed expressed concern over the raise in the number of crimes committed by underage children and highlighted the need to ensure the welfare and rehabilitation of child offenders. National case load has increased 18% compared to previous years, he noted. More than 20,000 cases have been concluded by the Maldivian courts so far this year, he highlighted.
At the ceremony, a memorandum of understanding was signed between National Islamic University of Malaysia and Judicial Academy of Maldives to strengthen the judicial system of the Maldives.
The main aim of the conference is to create a platform which would empower judges with thorough and comprehensive knowledge about the rights of children and best practices used in protecting them. And also to address issues and challenges with regard to implementation and enforcement of laws issues from a judicial-academic perspective, the Maldives Judicial Academy included a Judicial Symposium on Child Rights and the Juvenile Justice System in its Annual Program Plan 2017, identifying a number of momentous purposes such as helping to identify where and how existing laws in the area can be improved, providing an opportunity for judges and other officials to share experiences.