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YEREVAN , MARCH 13, ARMENPRESS: Study on ill-treatment and torture of juveniles in Armenia in the context of juvenile justice show 31 per cent of juveniles were not informed about the reasons for their arrest.
As Armenpress reports, according to the study ,out of 82 juveniles interviewed for the study about 21 per cent were not informed about the reasons for their arrest, while 42 per cent did not read the arrest protocol before signing it. Although in the majority of cases juveniles were informed about their rights during detention or arrest, 31 per cent of them admitted that they were never informed about their rights. In the majority of cases advocates were not present during the first interrogation of a juvenile.
''Policy and legislation are not the only sectors are required to ensure the protection of children exposed to ill-treatment. Effective intervention in support to the victims, and prevention initiatives, require the setup of cooperating mechanism among various professionals, from the policy and justice representatives to social workers and psychologists'' UNICEF Representative in Armenia Henriette Ahrens stated.
The study on ill treatment and torture of juveniles in Armenia funded by EU, was carried out by UNICEF together with the European Union, Human Rights Defender's office, the Civil Society Institute, and in partnership with Penal Reform International.