Promoting Juvenile Justice in Iraq

Heartland Alliance International (HAI) has been working in Iraq since 2004, helping survivors of human rights abuses heal and obtain justice, while building the capacity of Iraqi human rights activists and organizations. In a country that has a juvenile justice system that violates multiple international human rights standards, many  youth—especially those from ethnic minorities, low-income, or “dishonorable” families—lack access to legal services, receive harsh sentences, and encounter stigma after their justice involvement has ended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The justice system in Iraq is not at its best,” said Ahmed Sameer, HAI Deputy Country Director in Iraq. “Regular people who can’t afford a fancy lawyer end up losing their cases, even if they are not perpetrators.”

Ahmed said he and his team see that young people around 14 to 15 years old are arrested and placed into detention, where many face torture and mistreatment. Many  youth spend several years in detention and therefore reach adulthood before receiving a sentence.

Once a child receives sentencing, HAI works with them to prepare for release upon completion, while also  providing robust post-release case management. As they reintegrate into society, HAI focuses on supporting them and their communities, and reducing stigma surrounding the youth.

“The ISIS conflict and liberation is over, but now we’re dealing with the impact of that conflict,” Ahmed said. “There are terror charges stemming from that, and there are still militia groups currently recruiting children. Even after their release, the community continues to look at those children as troublemakers. Those children have to do extra to prove themselves, that they’re valuable community members.”

Ahmed wants communities to move away from harboring that stigma and understand that the youth are children first and foremost, and victims of the armed conflict themselves.

“It’s critical to accept these children and give them the support they need to heal,” Ahmed said. “If you think about children coming from ISIS, rejected from their communities and growing up in isolation with the ideas of hate and revenge, at some point we’ll end up with another situation like ISIS. We see a complete transformation in the children we work with—the mindset completely changes, and they are focused on productivity and moving forward.”