AZERBAIJAN | Ombudsman visits juvenile correctional institution

Within the framework of activity as the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva visited Guba Special Vocational School of closed-type special educational facility status under the Ministry of Education in Guba city of Azerbaijan.

The Ombudsperson monitored all the units of the facility, including bedrooms and rooms for leisure time, canteen and kitchen, food storage and common area.
As a result of the monitoring, it was observed that the conditions in the facility were not appropriate for children; they had low level opportunities for access to quality education, efficient organization of leisure time and acquiring vocational skills. Despite the fact that the institution has sufficient care workers, there were not adequate conditions for correctional work. There were also no appropriate conditions for the psychological, medical and social rehabilitation of juveniles.

According to the findings the Ombudsman made recommendations to the administration of the institution with regard to ensuring the children’s rights and improving their activities in this field according to national legislation and international standards, including the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The results of the visit will be addressed to the relevant authorities in order to take appropriate measures.

It should be noted that the Ombudsman's initiatives and preventive measures  aimed at  promoting juvenile justice system in the country, improving national legislation, relevant practices, in general, legal reforms within the framework of the National Preventive Mechanism activities contribute to evaluation of existing difficulties and needs and undertaking of appropriate measures.

Source: Ombudsman of Azerbaijan