Sunday 11 / May / 2025
Muscat: The Social Inspectors Forum themed “Non-custodial Provisions and Measures in Juvenile Justice” began on Tuesday under the patronage of Sayyid Salim Musallam Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour for Human Resources Development.
The two-day event is organised by the Ministry of Social Development, represented by the Department of Juvenile Affairs.
The forum aims to review alternative non-custodial measures in juvenile justice and to identify the role and efforts of various departments and institutions in the Sultanate of Oman in facilitating the implementation of rulings and measures, as well as creating continuous partnership and cooperation among various sectors to limit the problems of juvenile delinquency.
The forum seeks to come up with results, indicators and recommendations on the mechanism for implementing alternative provisions for non-custodial measures in a manner that serves the interest of the juveniles, and benefiting from Arab developments in the same field.
Fahd Zaher Al Fahdi, Director of the Juvenile Affairs Department at the Ministry of Social Development, said in the ministry’s speech, “The Ministry of Social Development has adopted the “2016-2025” social work strategy pertaining to social protection as one of the basic pillars that seek to provide the necessary social care and protection within the ministry’s development plans and programmes”.
He reviewed the statistical indicators in the various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman by the end of 2022. The number of juvenile offenders reached 398 including 358 juvenile delinquents, and 40 juveniles at risk of delinquency. He perceived alternative non-custodial measures and sentences as one of the contemporary trends in the rehabilitation and reform of juveniles.
The forum witnessed a discussion by the joint working group to review the Juvenile Accountability Law. The UNICEF presented a paper on “Health and Safety for the Employment of Juveniles.” -ONA
