Section 5.2 stipulates that the Ministry responsible for social welfare shall facilitate as much as possible the reunification of unaccompanied or similarly situated children with their families. Presently, the Child Protection Network (CPN) has established an inter-agency Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) that is comprised of key child protection agencies including the Ministries of Gender and Development, Health and Social Welfare, UNICEF, Save the Children-UK, UNHCR, IRC,LRRRC, etc to work with relevant national and international agencies in addressing the issues of refugee children. The working group which is chaired by the Ministry of Gender and Development has played pivotal role in addressing the emergency needs of Ivorian Refugee children living in the neighboring counties of Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Maryland and River Gee. (ii) Children in armed conflicts, including specific measures for child protection and care (Article 22) The Children‟s Law has introduced an explicit prohibition on recruitment of children and their use in armed conflicts. It states in Article 22.1 that “every child shall have the right to be protected from involvement in armed or any other violent conflicts.The Ministry of Defense, according to the Children‟s Law shall not recruit on conscript any child into military service, and shall ensure that the army does not use landmines and other weapons described by the international law adverse to children. b) Children in conflict with the law: Article IX, section 3.1 of the Children‟s Law guarantees that “a child shall not be subjected to pre-trial detention, including remind, unless all other measure for dealing with the child pending trial have been exhausted.” Section 3.2 states that “at all stages of the investigation and prosecuting a crime involving a child, diversionary measures shall be considered, with the advice and facilitation of probation officers, social workers, or other appropriate service providers.” Section 3.3 guarantees that “the imprisonment of a child shall only be in cases where there would be no other to correct the child.‟ Section 3.6 states also that “: the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare shall take measures to ensure that juvenile delinquents in whose respect a juvenile or other court has made an order the Juvenile court procedural code are appropriately integrated into family and community life. Section 3.7 guarantees that “:the Juvenile Court Procedural Code and any other laws or rules relating to the administration of justice in cases where a child is allege to have committed a criminal offense shall be construed to balance the best interest of the child and responding to the needs of any alleged victim.” The Women and Children Protection Section has been established within the Liberia National Police to serve as first contact point for children coming in contact with the Justice system. The section is composed of well trained staff of women and men adequately versed in managing juvenile cases. (i) The administration of juvenile justice (Article 17) A juvenile, under the Juvenile law, is a child who is under the age of 18 years. And the age of criminal liability is 16. A “juvenile delinquent” is a juvenile who has attained the age of seventeen but is under the age of 18 years. While there are no plans envisaged to rise the age of criminal liability, the death penalty has been 15

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