Draft report of the expert group meeting on social defence

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E/CN.14/S0DE/3O 27 August 1964 Original: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA

Expert Group Meeting on Social Defence Monrovia, 18-31 August 1964

DRAFT

REPORT OF THE EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON SOCIAL DEFENCE

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E/CN.14/S0DE/30

Introduction Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV :

Chapter V : Annex© s:

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

Contents

Rapid Social Change and Juvenile Delin quency in Africa - definition of the term, extent, types and forms of manifestation, and contributing factors.

Measures for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency.

Measures for uhe treatment of Juvenile Offenders.

The Planning, Selection and Training of Personnel for Treatment of Juvenile Offenders i

Summary of Recommendations

List of Experts3 Consultants and Observers;

Steering Committee, Drafting Committee, Working Groups A and B; and, ECA

Secretariat;

Agenda

Daily Programme

Organization of Working Groups List of Documents

Opening Address by Dr, William V.S. Tubman President of the Republic of Liberia

Statement on behalf of the Executive

Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa by Mr. J. Riby-Williams, Chief of the Social Development Section, ECA

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INTRODUCTION

1» The Expert Group Meeting on Social Defense in Africa, the first of its kind to be convened under the

auspices of the United Nations in the region, was held in Monrovia, Republic of Liberia, at the City Hall, from

Tuesday IB August to Monday 31 August 1964. The meeting

was sponsored jointly by the Economic Commission for

Africa, the United Nations Bureau of Social Affairs, and the United Nations Board of Technical Assistance Opera tions. The Government of the Republic of Liberia kindly acted as host to the meeting,

2* This meeting arises from the 1964 Work Programme of the Economic Commission for Africa as adopted at the Sixth Session and from Project Number 33.3 of the United Nations Social Commission, as adopted at its Fifteenth

Session. It is the fifth in a series of regional meetings planned by the United Nations in preparation

for the Third United Nations World Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders to be held at Stockholm in 1965*

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3. The theme selected for the Expert Group Meeting on Social Defence was the Development of National Pro grammes for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency and Treatment of Young Offenders. The main purpose of the

meeting was to create an awareness among African coun

tries of some of the major implications of the rapid

social change currently taking place in the region; to undertake an objective examination of the problems which confront the African national governments in the develop ment and administration of their national programmes for the prevention of juvenile delinquency, the treatment of young offenders and the proper integration of youth in

society, and, to make recommendations to national govern ments as to how best to cope with their social problem.

An equally important purpose for convening the meeting was for the Economic Commission for Africa to ascertain

how best it could serve the region in this particular

field of work. The Sixth Session of the Economic Com

mission for Africa, which met in March 1964 at Addis

Ababa, adopted a resolution which stressed the import

ance of studies into the extent of crime and juvenile

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Page it-

delinquency in Africa and requested the Executive Secretary to undertake studies and assist African countries in the planning and organization of pro

grammes of Social Defence.

4. Experts from thirteen countries; a consultant from France; observers from UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO; observers

from the following non-governmental international organi zations: International Association of Youth Magistrates, international Association of Workers for Maladjusted Children, World Alliance of Toung Men's Christian

Associations; and, the members of the Secretariat from the United Nations Bureau of Social Affairs and the Economic Commission for Africa were present at the deliberations. A list of the participants is given in

Annex 1.

5. The following substantive subjects on the

Agenda were adopted for discussion:

(a) Rapid Social Change and Juvenile delinquency in Africa - the definition of the term,

extent of juvenile delinquency, the types

Ind forms of manifestation, and contributory

factors;

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Page 5

(b) Measures for the Prevention of Juvenile

Delinquency;

(c) Measures for the Treatment of Juvenile

Offenders;

(d) The Planning, Selection and Training of Personnel for the Treatment of Juvenile

Offenders.

ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING

6* The official opening ceremony was performed by Dr. William V.S. Tubman, the President of the Republic of Liberia. The President's address is reproduced in Annex 6,

At the first plenary session held after the opening

ceremony Mr. Stephen Augustus P. Horton (Liberia) was

elected as Chairman, Monsieur J. Benglia as First Vice- Chairman and %*. S. A. Oboubi (Ghana as Second Vice- Chairman. The provisional agenda (Annex 2) and provi sional Daily Programme of Work (Annex 3) were next

considered and adopted. A Steering Committee comprising the following persons was approved: Mr. S.A.P. Horton

(Liberia) as Chairman, Mr. S. A. Oboubi (Ghana), M. J.

Benglia (Senegal), Mr. A«F. Caine (Liaison Officer,

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Liberia), and the ECA Secretariat (Messrs. Edward Galway, J. Riby-Williams and S. Cooppan). A Drafting Committee comprising the following was approved: Mr.

H. H. Ferreira (Northern Rhodesia) as Chairman, M. J.

Benglia (Senegal), Dr. S. Cooppan (ECA Secretariat and Rapporteur for Agenda Item V), Dr. Edward Galway

(U.N. Secretariat and Rapporteur for Agenda Item VI),

Mr. Ahmed Sheikh Mahmood (Somalia expert and Rapporteur for Agenda Item VII), and M. P. Voirin (ECA Consultant and Rapporteur for Agenda Item VIII). The meeting

also set up two working groups each to deal with Agenda Items VII and VIII (Annex 1). Fourteen plenary, and three working group sessions were held. At the first two plenary sessions the experts from the thirteen countries presented brief country statements, full written statements having been distributed already by most of the experts. The observers also made

statements on behalf of their organizations. These statements were followed by discussions on the sub stantive subjects of the Agenda. The topic of Agenda Item V: Rapid Social Change and Juvenile Delinquency

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in Africa was introduced by Dr. S. Cooppan, ECA Social

Affairs Officer, on behalf of the Secretariat, The

topic of Agenda -'■tern VI: Measures for the Prevention of Delinquency was introduced by Dr, Edward Galway, Chief of the U.N. Social Defence Section on behalf of

the Secretariat. The ?opic of Agenda item VII:

Measures for the Treatment of Young Offenders was introduced by Mr. J. Riby-Williams, Chief of the ECA

Social Development Section, on behalf of the Secretariat;

and, Agenda Item VIII: The Planning, Selection and Train ing of Personnel for the Treatment of Juvenile Offenders was introduced by Monsieur P. Voirin, ECA Consultant.

All four topics were introduced and discussed at plenary sessions. Agenda Items VII and VIII were then referred to two working groups - each group was required to study

in detail one item and to draw draft conclusions and

make recommendations to the Drafting Committee, Each group functioned under an appointed leader, and had its

own rapporteur, (See Annex 1 for composition of working groups). The rapporteurs for the four topics each sub mitted conclusions and recommendations through the

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drafting committee to the final plenary session for consideration and adoption. After the adoption of the final report a formal closing ceremony was held on Monday, 31 August, 1964 which was addressed by Mr.

7- The report which follows embodies the main conclusions and recommendations of the meeting in respect of each of the four major topics discussed.

By the nature of the topics discussed it was inevitable that there would be a certain degree of overlapping and this is reflected in the conclusions and recommen dations-