Friday at Delmas 33, Me Pierre-Richard Casimir, the Minister of Justice, accompanied among others by Me Clamé-Ocnam Daméus Government Commissioner and Me Bernard St-Vil, Dean of the Court of First Instance of Port-au -Prince visited the Rehabilitation Centre for Minors in Conflict with the Law (CERMICOL) and made important announcements regarding children who are in prolonged pre-trial detention situation.

Of a total of 154minors who are currently in CERMICOL, only 16 (10.3%) already know their fate "This problem concerns me at the highest point. I could have just take a circular, but I chose to personally move accompany byjudicial actors to see what can be done immediately," said the Minister Casimir stressing that his visit was also intended to encourage the various actors in the criminal chain to deal with expeditiously juvenile cases.

The Minister Casimir took two important commitments.

First he promised that next week of substitutes Government Commissioners assigned to the prosecution of Port-au-Prince will come to CERMICOL to analyze case by case the minor cases.

Then he promised that the fundamental school within the CERMICOL would start functioning from the next academic year, after having been interrupted in the past year because of the teachers' strike.

The inspector in charge of CERMICOL deplored the fact that a large amount of children be kept for minor offenses following a detention order issued by a magistrate. He wishes to have at least two other psychologists serving children and other social workers. Emphasizing on the primary mission of the Centre which is the rehabilitation of children, he recalled that several young of the CERMCOL school, have been laureate to the state's official examinations.

The Minister Casimir toured the different cells of CERMICOL and talked to children, particularly those found in a situation of prolonged pretrial detention, promising them that permanence will be decreed for their cases.

HL/ HaitiLibre