From 18 – 19 February, a two day Juvenile Justice Workshop was organized at the Luderitz Youth Centre by the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture (MYNSSC). The workshop programme was led by Ms. Hilya Imene, Child Justice Coordinator from MYNSSC Head Office, and co-facilitated by Mr. Jan Scholtz, Acting Head of Centre, and Mr. Padraic Gerety, Peace Corps Volunteer. In attendance were over 20 stakeholders, representing the Namibian Prison Service, the Woman and Child Protection Unit, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Children Welfare, the Nautilus and Diaz Primary Schools, the Luderitz Secondary and Christian Schools, the Church Alliance for Orphans, affected parents, and members from church and youth groups. Bringing together such a diverse group of participants was very difficult as the workshop was originally planned for November of last year, but had to be postponed due to the absence of certain key individuals.

The reasoning behind holding the event was that, while juvenile justice is a serious issue in Luderitz, there exists no event or platform where it can be discussed. Indeed, many individuals in the community are unaware of the special system in place for juveniles in conflict with the law, and so the aim of the event was to inform the stakeholders about the juvenile justice system and about the rights and responsibilities of juveniles in conflict with the law. The eventual desired result of the workshop was to form a Juvenile Justice Forum in Luderitz.

The first day began with a presentation by Ms. Imene on the juvenile justice programme offered in Namibia and the roles of the stakeholders in implementing restorative, rather than penal, justice. Ms. Imene also touched on what measures exist to protect juveniles in conflict with the law and then initiated a lively discussion among the participants on youth crime prevention. Afterward, guest speaker Sergeant Rosa Tjihavero spoke on the role of the Woman and Child Protection Unit and what special procedures exist for the arrest, conviction, and imprisonment of juveniles in conflict with the law. For the last session of the day, Superintendent Kallie Goliath spoke on the role of the Namibian Prison Service and how juvenile offenders are given separate cells and protected from the remainder of the prison populace. Supt. Goliath also urged parents to become involved in their children’s activities, and noted that “Church works” in discouraging bad behaviour.

The workshop on the second day began with group work and presentations by the participants on the Child Justice Bill, detailing the special rights of children in arrest and trial proceedings. Following this session was a talk by Ms. Imene on the use of diversionary activities, such as community service and life skills programmes, as a way to re-educate juvenile offenders without subjecting them to jail time. The last of the guest speakers, Ms. Nghipuulenga Naukushu from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, spoke on the mission of her ministry and on the importance of the pre-trial screening that all juvenile offenders must receive.

The workshop came to close with a presentation on the benefits of setting up a Juvenile Justice Forum in Luderitz, which spurred the participants to begin discussing the membership and activities of such a forum. After careful deliberation, the Executive Committee was established and the first meeting set for early March. The participants provided positive feedback on the workshop, with several stating that they learned a lot and were excited to begin working with the forum on this important issue.

This event was made possible by a generous donation from Seaflower Lobster Corporation and by the hard work of the MYNSSC, and thus the Luderitz Youth Centre extends its deepest thanks for the support. Ms. Nghipuulenga Naukushu, ministry of Gender, holding her workshop.