Unicef on Thursday commended the recent release of 345 children from detention centres in Bangladesh by virtual courts. “This marks an important step towards children’s access to justice in Bangladesh and places the protection, safety and best interests of children first,” said Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Tomoo Hozumi on the release of the children from detention centres. Also Read:UNICEF for maintaining positive child immunization trend in Bangladesh The Bangladesh Supreme Court established the use of virtual courts in May 2020 with support from Unicef. Since then, over 1,400 children have been released from detention centres thanks to virtual courts. Less than 0.5 per cent of these children have reoffended following their release. “Detention takes its heavy toll on children’s mental and physical health so unnecessary institutionalisation must be avoided. Unicef calls for the introduction of non-custodial solutions for children who are victims, witnesses or accused of crimes,” Hozumi said in the statement. The Unicef Representative in Bangladesh said all children who can safely return to their families or appropriate alternative care should be released from detention centres. “This is particularly important during the current pandemic lockdown when centre staffing is limited and children face heightened risk of infection, neglect and abuse in the overcrowded detention centres. Hozumi said Bangladesh has demonstrated a strong leadership during the pandemic by embracing judicial reforms for the benefit of children and their rights. “We must continue to build on this momentum by expediting child-related cases which are pending in the justice system and keeping thousands of children in detention.” Also Read: Mental health alert for 332 million children linked to COVID-19 lockdown policies: UNICEF Unicef lends its full support to the government of Bangladesh, the Supreme Court Special Committee on Child Rights, and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to improve children’s access to justice, Hozumi added. “By strengthening the application of the Children’s Act 2013, we can prevent child detention in Bangladesh, including at the police level.”  

A total of 167  incarcerated children have been granted bail by juvenile courts across the country in the last eight working days through virtual hearings amid the countrywide strict lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. Barrister Muhammad Saifur Rahman, a spokesman for the Supreme Court and a special officer of the High Court, confirmed the information to media on Friday. Also read: Virtual court activities to be introduced at district level: PM He further said that in the last eight working days, the lower courts across the country have granted bail to 15,217 inmates after hearing 26,848 petitions in virtual hearings. Of these, 3,032 bail applications were disposed of in lower courts  on Thursday alone and 1,592 of them were granted bail. Also read: Virtual court a new chapter in law: Anisul

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Sunday said virtual courts will be used in special situations.   “It's normal to introduce a virtual court system in this world of information technology. Virtual courts are meant for working in an alternative way through videoconferencing. The regular court proceedings using the constitution, the CRPC, the CPC (Civil Procedure Code) and the act of witnesses will remain unchanged. Virtual courts will be adopted only in special situations,” he said.   The Law Minister came up with the information while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of online training course for judges at Judicial Administration Training Institute in the city.   Besides, necessary training will be provided to the lawyers alongside the judges to run virtual court smoothly.