Maldives: UNODC assists Maldivian authorities to train trainers in the area of juvenile justice

Male, Maldives/19 October 2022: UNODC has been assisting Maldivian authorities in the implementation of its Juvenile Justice Act (Act 18/2019) since 2020.

Following a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs, UNODC delivered an online follow-up training session for the Training of Trainers (ToT) on juvenile justice for officials from the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), Maldives Correctional Services, Juvenile Court, Prosecutor General’s Office, and Maldives Police Service.

The training session built on previous initiatives, including a technical assistance needs assessment that UNODC carried out in 2020 to identify needs and gaps of the Maldivian juvenile justice system as well as the development of a comprehensive national training programme on juvenile justice in 2021.

 The event, organized by UNODC’s Global Programme to End Violence Against Children, gathered 8 male and 22 female officials from the Department of Juvenile Justice (Ministry of Home Affairs), Maldives Correctional Services, Juvenile Court, Prosecutor General’s Office, and Maldives Police Service.

Through the implementation of practical exercises, the ToT provided necessary skills in adult learning methodology to enable participants delivering training on juvenile justice within their respective institutions. It also assisted participants in becoming familiar with the content and structure of UNODC Training of Trainers Manual on Juvenile Justice in the Republic of Maldives, thus facilitating their actions as future trainers.

Throughout the various sessions, participants discussed several topics among juvenile justice-related general concepts and principles as well as the treatment of children in conflict with the law.

This activity contributes to SDG 5 and 16: https://sdg-tracker.org/