Number of cases filed to Juvenile Justice Unit increase by 19 percent

The Juvenile Justice Unit has said that the number of cases filed to the unit of minors breaking the law increased by 19.2 percent in the first three months of this year, when compared with the first three months of last year.

A report published by the unit today shows that the number of cases relating to minors filed to the unit increased from 21 in the first three months of last year, to 31 in the first three months of this year. The majority of the cases filed this year relate to drug and serious assault offences.

The report states that six serious assault cases, six drug possession cases, five theft cases, eight sexual misconduct cases, one case related to snatching and four cases related to disobeying orders were reported in the first three months of this year. The majority of cases of female offenders relate to sexual misconduct.

Most offenders were aged between 16 and 18, while most male and female offenders were aged 17 and 12 respectively. The report noted that crime among school-goers was on the rise. Out of the cases filed to the unit, 29 percent of the offenders were school children.

The report further stated that eleven children were transferred to the Correctional Training Centre for Children in Kaafu Feydhoo Finolhu in the first three months of this year. Out of these, two children had been handed over to their parents after they completed various programs at the centre.

According to the report by the Juvenile Justice Unit, several programs had been conducted to prevent child crime over the first three months of this year. Some challenges faced by the unit in these efforts include the lack of a law on child justice and refusal by some parents and relevant institutions to cooperate .