76 % des enfants poursuivis finissent en prison au Sénégal ! (DGPJS)
The Directorate General for Judicial and Social Protection (DGPJS) revealed alarming figures on Wednesday, March 25th, regarding the situation of children in conflict with the law in Senegal. Of the 3,345 minors prosecuted in 2024, nearly 76% were remanded in custody, confirming a strong trend towards incarceration rather than alternative measures.
During a workshop organized at the Judicial Training Center (CFJ), the Director General of the DGPJS, Aïssé Gassama Tall, pointed out several shortcomings in the criminal policy for minors, including the lack of specialized centers for care, the absence of magistrates specifically trained in juvenile cases, and the low use of alternatives to detention, reports Le Soleil.
However, she welcomed the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICD), which is funding the project "Programme for improving access to and quality of socio-educational child protection services" (PAQ/SPE) to the tune of 3 million euros (approximately 1.9 billion FCFA).
Representing the Minister of Justice, Amadou Tidiane Sy, Director of Judicial Services, warned against the effects of stigmatization and custodial sanctions, which "can permanently trap children in trajectories of marginalization instead of promoting their rehabilitation."
For his part, Souleymane Teliko, director of the CFJ, stressed the need to go beyond simple diagnosis to make this workshop "a moment of collective reflection and co-construction of solutions adapted to the Senegalese context", the same source reports.
Towards a necessary reform
The workshops, bringing together magistrates, judicial police officers, specialized educators, and prison officials, aim to strengthen the implementation of a criminal justice policy that is more protective of children's rights. Participants hope that these discussions will lay the groundwork for a reform that prioritizes rehabilitation and education over systematic incarceration.
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