[JURIST] UN officials congregating at the 13th UN Crime Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [official website] in Doha, Qatar ,on Saturday called on [UN News Centre report] member states to implement new standards [text, PDF] for eliminating violence against children. The standards were approved by the UN General Assembly [official website] in December and are geared toward improving the effectiveness of the criminal justice system’s ability to prevent and respond to violence against children. Valerie Lebaux, the Chief of the Justice Section, Division for Operations, in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) [official website] said, “[these strategies represent] an historical achievement and a strong endorsement of the commitment of Member States towards addressing the issue of violence against children. … Considering the complex nature of the issue, the needs for technical assistance are extensive and cannot be met within a short period of time. … Our joint efforts are essential to translate the Model Strategies into concrete actions.” Additionally, UNODC has entered into a joint global program with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) [official website] to address the issue of violence against children.

The Crime Congress [UN backgrounder] runs through April 19 and takes place a few months before an important summit on the future global development agenda that will occur in September. On Thursday the UNODC reported that prison overcrowding has reached “epidemic proportions” [JURIST report] worldwide. “Prison overcrowding can also be considered as a symptom of a malfunctioning justice system, and the problems of overcrowding have to be dealt with by the prison administration, although the solutions are seldom within their reach,” said Piera Barzano, Senior Regional Advisor of the Justice Section at UNODC. On Monday Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation said in a briefing [JURIST report] that so-called “less-lethal” weapons used by law enforcement can have deadly consequences, noting, “”[p]olice force and prison officials have at their disposal a dizzying array of weapons and kit that, while known as ‘less-lethal,’ can cause serious injury or even death. … [B]ody-worn electric shock devices, spiked batons, and thumb cuffs have no place in policing.” Last Sunday UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed [JURIST report] the Crime Congress, highlighting the crucial connection between the rule of law and sustainable development.