Courts and justice
Juvenile Justice Law, Somalia
Somalia's Juvenile Justice Law sets up a separate justice system for children accused of crimes, with juvenile courts at first-instance and appeal level and rehabilitation centres run by the Ministry of Justice. The House of the People passed it on 10 March 2025 by 139 votes to 2, the Upper House passed it in December 2025 by 30 votes to 1, and the Ministry of Justice launched it on 16 August 2026. It updates Law No. 13 of 3 March 1970.
What is the Juvenile Justice Law?
The Juvenile Justice Law creates a separate system for children who are accused of crimes. It sets procedures for arrest, detention, prosecution, rehabilitation and sentencing, and keeps children's cases apart from adult cases (Dawan, 16 August 2026). In English news reports it is also called the Youth Justice Bill (SONNA, 10 March 2025).
What does it set up?
According to the Ministry of Justice launch reported by Dawan (Dawan):
- Juvenile courts (Article 8): special divisions for children's cases at both first-instance and appeal court level.
- Arrest (Article 15): police may arrest a person who has reached the age of 14, and must promptly tell the child's parents or legal guardian.
- Rehabilitation and correctional centres: the Ministry of Justice is responsible for building and running them, with care suited to the child's age and circumstances.
- Welfare: courts and officials must take more account of the child's mental and physical condition, and extra services are provided to protect the child's rights.
What law did it replace?
The new law follows a review of earlier laws, including Law No. 13 of 3 March 1970, which set up a Juvenile Court and rehabilitation system (same source).
How did it pass?
| Date | Step | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10 March 2025 | House of the People passes it: 139 for, 2 against, no abstentions | SONNA |
| December 2025 | Upper House passes it at third reading: 30 for, 1 against | Hiiraan Online, December 2025 |
| 16 August 2026 | Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs launches the law in Mogadishu | Dawan |
At the March 2025 vote, Justice Minister Hassan Moallim Mohamud called the bill "crucial for the justice sector" (SONNA). The House passed an Income Tax Bill at the same sitting (same source).
Why was it written?
Somalia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on 1 October 2015. In its first review of Somalia in 2022, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child noted that Somalia had developed a Juvenile Justice Bill, and said there was no functioning child justice system in the country, although Somaliland and Puntland had set up child courts in 2018. It asked Somalia to "enact the Juvenile Justice Bill in line with the Convention", bring member state laws into line with it, and set up specialised child courts with trained judges across the country (UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC/C/SOM/CO/1, 2022, para. 67). See Convention on the Rights of the Child in Somalia.
Related pages
Sources
- Dawan, 16 August 2026 · dawan.africa
- SONNA, 10 March 2025 · sonna.so
- Hiiraan Online, December 2025 · hiiraan.com
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC/C/SOM/CO/1, 2022, para. 67 · ecoi.net
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