Issued by: SA Communication Service
PRESS RELEASE
NCRC is shocked at Justice Minister Dullah Omar's Statement in today's Citizen (13 November 1995) that "The law must be amended at the first available opportunity to make it possible for the courts to imprison young people".
Young people from birth to 18 years are the victims of some of the most atrocious crimes of our century but there is no mention of their perpetrates being brought to book.
While we applaud the notion of crime finally being addressed in our country we are horrified at the Minister's statement. This kind of knee-jerk reaction solves nothing. The solution to juvenile crime is not to send children back to prison which Section 29's amendment tried to address, but rather to find viable alternatives. It is the government's responsibility to put young offenders in appropriate institutions which take cognisance of their age and development and to employ care workers with specific training in this field as well as to protect society against crime.
Yes, juvenile crime is a burning issue but at the same time we trust the crimes committed against children by their elders are focused on with even greater urgency.
NCRC does not support the premise that children are the problem in our crime ridden society.
Contact person: Liz Bennett Phone: (011) 403 3871/2 Fax: (011) 403 3870