17July 2010 - The Afghan Department of Social Affairs has trained more than 100 members of Government and civil society in eastern Afghanistan about juvenile justice with a longer term goal of keeping underage offenders out of prisons.

“The overall objective of the training was to help bring cooperation and coordination between different elements of the judiciary system on the implementation of juvenile court in the best interest of children,” said Aziz Noor of the Jalalabad branch of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) which supported the training.

The three-day training was headed by the Department of Social Affairs, with support from UNICEF and the international non-governmental organization Save the Children.

It was the first time that police, prosecutors, judges, defence lawyers, youth representatives, Provincial Council members and social workers from all four provinces of the region - Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan - participated in an event together.

Among the highlights of the meeting was a discussion about a "letter of agreement" between six Government offices to more quickly and efficiently implement laws in favour of children.

By Tilak Pokharel, UNAMA