The Department of Juvenile Justice required to be formed under the Juvenile Justice act has been formed today.

The newly formed department was inaugurated today by the Minister of Home Affairs, Imran Abdulla. The department is operated under the Home Ministry.

Juvenile Justice Act was passed into law on 14 November 2019 and ratified by the President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on 20 November. The law requires the Department of Juvenile Justice to be formed and carries certain responsibilities.

They are required to work for the benefit of the children when investigating the cases involving children and would play a leading role in rehabilitating child offenders and bringing them to society. With the establishment of the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Juvenile Justice Unit under the Home Ministry will be disbanded.

At the opening ceremony today, Minister Imran said that ensuring safety to one third of the children in the country is not a small task but a huge responsibility. The Home Minister said that that it would require a significant effort to build a brighter future for the country as the number of children entering the juvenile criminal system keeps rising.

The Director of the Juvenile Justice, Fathimath Roona said that the biggest goal would be to bring children back to society before they go to prison.

Department of Juvenile Justice is required to help children through the investigations and conduct diversion programs and community conferences to protect children from being brought into crimes and provide psychological support and social protection to at-risk children. They will also be conduction awareness programs and monitor the status of children being detained.