Protection of Children at Risk in the System of Justice for Children in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

In the last fifteen years, the Republic of Macedonia conducts thorough reforms in the system of justice for children. Since 2003, intensive efforts have been made in the process of establishment of a legal and institutional framework for protection of children at risk and children in conflict with the law. In this regards, the legislative changes were made in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards and principles. The new system is based on three elements (criminal law, civil law, and system of services and protection). The goal is not only to introduce certain principles for the development of justice for children, but to perform constant holistic re-evaluation of the programs for children at risk and children perpetrators of criminal acts.The focus is put on strengthening the relevant institutions as independent administrative units with a multidisciplinary approach in encountering with the complex problem of juvenile delinquency. In that term, precise procedures are instituted, with clearly divided roles of the actors, demanding specialization of the professionals involved in child treatment. Yet, the implementation of the legal framework faces certain obstacles as a result of lack of political will, structural and systematic reasons. The basic goals and principles such as restorative justice, mediation, alternative measures and procedural rights are still non-achieved. The execution of sanctions remains to be most serious problems within the system of child justice. In this context, there are poor infrastructural capacities, insufficient human resources as well as absence of employed effective methods and techniques in the treatment of children.