Law Courts across the country have been urged to prioritise cases involving minors to minimise disruption to their education by establishing dedicated “children’s session hours” and coordinating with schools for scheduling of sessions.
Children’s law expert and advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Melisa Achieng, said the judiciary should prioritise cases involving minors when court sessions resume. This, she believes, will facilitate speedy hearings and enable minors to return to school on time, minimising disruptions to their education.
“I’m urging the judiciary to prioritise cases involving minors at the start of court sessions, allowing them to return to school promptly,” Achieng said. “By sustaining this approach, we can ensure that those who exploit innocent children face justice and are held accountable for their actions.”
She also said that although progress has been made with the establishment of the Children’s Court, many courts lack the physical space, trained personnel, and support services needed to be fully child-friendly.
She said lack of child-friendly court facilities, delay in producing child victims and witnesses, insufficient psychosocial support and parents or guardians who failed to cooperate during proceedings were some of the challenges hampering the timely delivery of justice in cases involving minors.
“The government must fully implement the Children Act, increase budget allocation to child protection services, train police and judicial officers on child-friendly procedures and strengthen community-based child welfare systems,” Ms Achieng said in an interview with the Education news yesterday.
Achieng added that every child deserves to grow up in a safe environment and that protecting children’s rights was not the sole responsibility of the government but a collective duty of families, the community and the entire society.
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The advocate also called for increased empowerment of children through education to understand their rights, speak up against abuse and for access to quality healthcare and protection from harmful cultural practices such as FGM and early marriage.
She observed that while Kenya has made significant strides in promoting children’s rights,many children still face violations such as neglect,abuse, child labour and lack of access to quality education and healthcare.
The advocate also asked the government to come up with strategies aimed at preventing and eliminating of all forms of violence and abuse against children.
She said the government and churches should team up to educate the society on the important of protecting children’s and enforce strict laws for those who abuse children sexually and also create public awareness on effects of sexual violence across the country
‘’There is need for the government to carry out research,campaigns,media coverage,networking and awareness creation in order to stern the practice because children must be protected to ensure that they grow up in a caring environment free from all forms of violence and abuse,’’she added.
Her call comes as cases of domestic violence against children,rape, defilement and pregnancies are on the increase in some parts of the country.
By Gastone Valusi
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