Description
The Bar Council Child Rights Committee (“CRC”) is proud to announce the launch of the “CRC Talks” series. In these talks/workshops, we aim to promote dialogue, raise awareness, and educate on various issues that affect child rights in Malaysia.
CRC Talks are open to Members of the Bar as well as the public.
More than 20 years have passed since Malaysia acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (“Convention”). However, in the criminal justice system, it is often the case that the voice of the child in conflict with the law is lost in the cacophony of adult voices. Hence, although Malaysia has taken steps to comply with aspects of the Convention, there are gaps between Malaysia’s obligations under the Convention and the actual workings of the criminal justice system, as far as the child in conflict with the law is concerned.
This is not surprising, considering the fact that while there are general expressions of the Convention, States Parties have a level of discretion to decide on the exact nature and content of the domestic measures for dealing with children in conflict with the law. Further, given Malaysia’s reservations to a number of the Convention’s provisions, and the existing punitive culture, a child rights-based approach in the criminal justice system merits analysis.
This workshop will explore the development of theoretical foundations and, where appropriate, will involve participant-driven activity.
This unique workshop aims to provide participants with an understanding of:
(1) the underlying philosophical and theoretical approaches in dealing with the rights of children in conflict with the law;
(2) the issues and challenges in implementing the Convention in Malaysia;
(3) the global trends and issues involving children in conflict with the law; and
(4) the approaches and challenges in interviewing children.
