- Consolidating the social and emotional climate of minors’ living environments;
- Ensuring follow up care for minors out of detention centres within a deadline stated by a
court;
- Recording the situations of minors in educational assistance;
- Reporting cases of minors in danger to the competent judicial authority;
- Ensuring the prevention of juvenile delinquency in the judicial districts.
There are only four services throughout the country, in Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, Dolisie and
Nkayi.
A draft order relating to the functioning and organisation of the service on educational action
in an open environment was developed, signed and is awaiting publication.
2. The observation centre for minors Brazzaville:
From 1980 to 1997, thanks to Caritas Congo, the observation centre was able to function
satisfactorily. Unfortunately this only remaining structure was destroyed during the war from
1997 to 1999. The rehabilitation work is ongoing. A draft decree on the functions and
organisation of the centre of observation and rehabilitation of juvenile in Brazzaville, has
been developed, signed and is awaiting publication.
3. The neighbourhood social services:
They have no specific framework for collaboration with the services of justice, but can solve
problems at the family level and will refer to the juvenile judge in case of necessity.
The area of juvenile justice is facing several problems, which affects its operation. These are:
(i) the low visibility of juvenile justice services: lack of district social services and NGOs; (ii)
the limited or lack of operating budget; (iii) non-staff development.
The fourth area of protection of children in conflict with the law aims to ensure a proper and
dignified justice treatment, followed by an educational support for their reintegration. An
additional document for the prevention of juvenile delinquency has been developed in order
to establish a hotline mechanism, build emergency shelters, create a brigade for minors and
child protection departmental committees. Without funding, these good ideas have remained
at the stage of good intentions.
Beyond the possible orientation toward rehabilitation services, the judge will still remain
gentle, as evidenced by court decisions recorded in the juvenile courts in recent years.
Both juvenile jurisdictions in Brazzaville and Pointe Noire have had to deal with 137 cases,
including 7 girls, within 3 years, according to the following data:
Table 4: Number of cases handled by the children of courts of Brazzaville and Pointe Noire
between 2011 and 2012
Years
2011
28
Brazzaville
No.
Incl.
Girls
28
2
Pointe Noire
No.
Incl.
Girls
11
0
Total
No.
Incl. Girls
0
2