Retain virtual courts for children, UNICEF to govt

The number of children detained in Bangladesh were increased when all court proceedings, including Children’s Court proceedings, postponed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, according to new data released by UNICEF on Monday.

The postponement of these proceedings led to the temporary detainment of three times the capacity of juvenile detention centres, said a press release.

UNICEF asked Bangladesh government to retain the virtual courts for children beyond the pandemic.

Since May 2020, over 5,300 children – nearly 12 per cent of the global figure – have been released from detention centres through virtual Children’s Courts. The age of criminal responsibility in Bangladesh is 9 years compared to the global recommendation of 14 years.

“Through the introduction of virtual courts during the pandemic, Bangladesh has played an exemplary role in ensuring the welfare of children. Detention facilities are not well equipped to provide for the needs of children, and the overcrowding of these centres during COVID-19 compounded the risks they face when detained,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

“We urge the government to retain the virtual courts for children beyond the pandemic. This is cost effective, ensures speedy trials and prevents children’s exposure to the adverse environment of court premises. The low rates of conviction and re-offense highlight the need for continuing the work of reforming the justice system for children. We must remember, no one benefits when children are detained.”

More than 45,000 children globally have been released from detention and safely returned to family or an appropriate alternative since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the new data.

Detention of children in the time of COVID reveals that governments and detaining authorities in at least 84 countries have released thousands of children since April 2020 when UNICEF drew attention to their increased risk of contracting COVID-19 in confined and overcrowded spaces, and called for their immediate release.