Prosecutorial bodies of the Vitebsk region have taken measures to stabilize the situation in the field of child rights protection

After six months of 2019, the crime situation among minors in the region began to deteriorate. The level of juvenile delinquency has been steadily increasing. It increased maximally over 9 months of 2019 by 36 crimes, or by 29.5%. There were other problems in protecting children's rights.      

In order to stabilize the situation, the Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office in 2019 considered issues of preventing drunkenness, alcoholism and drug addiction, crimes and other offenses committed by adolescents on this basis, preventing violence against children, domestic violence, crimes against their sexual integrity, and preventing unlawful behavior of children when sentenced to other criminal penalties at two coordination meetings on combating crime and corruption, and an interdepartmental meeting.

The Regional Prosecutor's Office submitted submissions to the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee on eliminating violations of legislation on the development and support of sports among children and youth, on preventing child deaths and injuries from external causes, on protecting orphaned children, on preventing violence among minors, to the Main Department for Education of the Regional Executive Committee – on eliminating violations in the managerial activities of education authorities, socio-pedagogical centers in organizing individual preventive work with students and families in educational institutions, to the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Regional Executive Committee – on eliminating violations in preventive activities.

At the initiative of the Regional Prosecutor's Office, problematic issues of ensuring the safety of children in educational institutions were considered at a regular meeting of the coordination council for the implementation of Decree No. 18 of the President of the Republic of Belarus under the Regional Executive Committee.

In total, in 2019, the prosecutor's offices of the region conducted 182 inspections in the field of supervision, submitted 443 submissions, orders, protests, officially warned 180 persons, and brought 564 guilty persons to disciplinary and administrative responsibility.

During the winter and summer holidays, when preparing for the new academic year, prosecutors

issues of child safety, family distress, crime prevention, and leisure activities were examined.

The Regional Prosecutor's Office has sent and supervised an instruction to city and district prosecutors, the Department of Internal Affairs, the Executive Committee's Commission on Juvenile Affairs, and the Main Education Department to intensify preventive work with adolescents and families in the registered categories.

The Regional Prosecutor's Office has organized and delivered presentations on drug addiction prevention among students in higher education institutions, colleges, lyceums, and schools. Appropriate methodological recommendations have been prepared for educational institutions.

During the analysis of the causes and conditions for the increase in juvenile crime in the region, the Regional Prosecutor's Office found that the Internal Affairs bodies and investigators, due to non-compliance with legislation on the registration and accounting of crimes, "artificially" increased the number of crimes committed by children in the sphere of illicit drug trafficking. At the request of the Regional Prosecutor's Office, 19 crimes were excluded from the unified crime accounting database.

By the end of 2019, the situation among youth stabilized, with 177 juvenile crimes registered (173 in 2018), accounting for 2.5% of the total (3.0% nationwide). In January 2020, the number of crimes committed by minors decreased by 25%.

The number of administrative offenses committed by children and adolescents, victims of crimes, especially crimes against sexual integrity, and minors registered with healthcare institutions for alcohol consumption, also decreased. The level of reimbursement by negligent parents of funds spent by the state on child maintenance under Decree No. 18 has increased. The number of child fatalities remains at the previous level.

Senior Assistant Regional Prosecutor
Anton Volkov