Special rooms to interrogate juveniles
The parties involved will no longer have to visit the public prosecution to give statements but can do so via video conference. We are awaiting a law on this.” Mohammed Ali Rustom bu Abdullah, head of Dubai Juvenile and Family Prosecution
Two special rooms — one dedicated for the interrogation of juveniles and another for offering reconciliation and counselling for spouses — were recently inaugurated by the Dubai Juvenile and Family Prosecution.
Advocate-general Mohammed Ali Rustom bu Abdullah, head of the prosecution, told Khaleej Times: “The child room was inaugurated a few weeks ago. Installations are already in place for holding hearings via CCTV, whereas parties involved will no longer have to visit the public prosecution to give statements but can do so via video conference. We are just awaiting a law on this.”
Female specialists in child psychology assist in the interrogation of a child. Such sessions are made stress-free with the newly-introduced room where the children can draw and enjoy games and thus do not feel under any kind of mental pressure that might be felt in ordinary interrogation rooms.
The reconciliation room is a specially-arranged room fitted with cozy decoration, furniture and relaxing colours that will help spouses feel more at ease and will boost the process of amicable settlements. The Family and Juvenile Prosecution investigated 260 juvenile cases in 2016 as compared to 323 cases in 2015 and 286 cases in 2014. For the family cases, 568 cases were examined in 2016. “As many as 537 cases were looked into in 2015 and 539 cases in 2014,” the advocate-general revealed.
Awareness programmes
The Family and Juvenile Prosecution has been engaged in organising programmes aimed at raising the awareness of the youth. ‘Nebras’, for instance, targets school students aged between 14 and 17 years. Under this programme, educational lectures are given to youngsters on laws, and consultations are offered to parents as well. The ‘shining stars’ programme targets students aged below 14 years.