On June 16, Caucasus University hosted the presentation of the first commentary on the Juvenile Justice Code, now published in its second edition.
The Juvenile Justice Code entered into force in Georgia on January 1, 2016, bringing a fundamental shift in how children are perceived and treated in society, particularly by professionals working in the field. The Code helped strengthen the understanding that children are rights holders with special protections and a need for care tailored to their age and circumstances. In juvenile justice proceedings, both the parties and the judge hearing the case must be guided, first and foremost, by the protection of the child’s rights. Safeguarding these rights must remain the central priority throughout the child’s involvement in the justice system.
The commentary was developed within the framework of a project led by Judge Levan Darbaidze, Affiliated Professor at the Caucasus School of Law. The project was selected as a winner of the 2023 Fundamental Research Grant Competition of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia. For the first time in Georgia, commentary on the Juvenile Justice Code has been prepared with the involvement of both Georgian and international experts. From an educational and practical perspective, the publication will serve as an important resource for students, practicing lawyers and all those interested in children’s rights.
The commentary was prepared with the participation of representatives of the Georgian judiciary, sitting judges and Austrian judge Renate Winter, former Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The publication provides detailed commentary on the full range of rights-based and procedural issues addressed by the Code.
The research examines:
- international legal standards in the field of juvenile justice, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, known as the Beijing Rules, and the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, known as the Riyadh Guidelines;
- relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights and decisions of Georgia’s common courts;
- article-by-article commentary on the Juvenile Justice Code.
The publication will be particularly useful as core literature for law students studying juvenile justice. It will also be a valuable resource for specialized professionals involved in juvenile justice, including police officers, investigators, prosecutors, judges, parents, social workers, psychologists, teachers and others who work directly with children and are interested in the legal issues regulated in this field.
