HALIFAX -- New Brunswick’s ‘State of the Child’ report was released on Friday, with a focus on protecting child rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual report, published by N.B. Child, Youth and Seniors Advocate Norman Bossé, sheds light on issues affecting children in the province, including poverty, education and social exclusion.
“Our success in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic will in time, be a story worth telling,” said Bossé, speaking publicly Friday. Many joined the discussion via Zoom.
The report also looked at children in poverty, saying only 17 per cent of youth in poverty say they feel as though they’re treated fairly.
Youth in the criminal justice system was a particular focus.
“I am recommending, firstly, that the director of public prosecutions take immediate steps to modify its practice manual to encourage crown prosecutors to use crown cautions as an alternative measure to prosecutions of youth,” explained Bossé.
The report also recommended that cases be referred to extra-judicial measures or sanctions more frequently before charges are laid.
For youth justice committees, Bossé recommends that they be given an “express mandate to work with all government and community stakeholders.”
He says this is to ensure that all youth in the criminal justice system are connected with child welfare services, educational supports, mental health and addiction services, along with vocational training opportunities.
In a statement to CTV News Friday, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development said it is reviewing the report, and will “continue to monitor and adjust” its plans.
