site.btaJustice Ministry, Ombudsman Begin Work on New Juvenile Justice Act

The Minister of Justice, Nikolay Naydenov, and the Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva are starting work on a new bill on children's justice, the two institutions announced on Friday.

The bill aims to pave the way for a comprehensive reform of the legislation on antisocial behaviors of minors and juveniles, which the two institutions say should be revised through the prism of the new social reality, expectations and standards for children's rights.

The Ministry and the Ombudsman state that a complex approach to children's justice is needed - a reform that will cover the development of the child when he is in contact or conflict with the law: from prevention and early intervention, through the work of the police, investigative bodies and the court, to the implementation of measures and subsequent support for reintegration. Emphasis will be placed on early identification of risk factors and timely intervention.

A joint working group is to be formed with the participation of all competent and interested parties and institutions. It will examine the issue in its entirety - from the early identification of children at risk to the appropriate response to children in conflict with the law. The working group will include experts from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, all involved ministries and institutions, as well as the non-governmental sector. The aim is to develop a conceptual framework for the legislation.

Among the main directions of the reform will be the suspension of the placement of children in closed institutions. In their place, the development of new, modern social services in the community - educational, psycho-social and protective, as well as family support mechanisms - is foreseen. The goal is to build an integrated system that provides individual support, social inclusion and reintegration of children in conflict with the law, the Ombudsman noted.