REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
Paix-Travail-Patrie Peace-Work-Fatherland
MINISTERE DES AFFAIRES SOCIALES MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS
DIRECTION DE PROTECTION SOCIALE DE L'ENFANCE
DELEGATION REGIONALE DU SUD-OUEST
INSTITUT BORSTAL
P.M.B 16 BUEA, Tel/FAX: 33 32 23 19
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BORSTAL INSTITUTE BUEA
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
Borstal Institute Buea is located some 2500 meters above sea level. It is found in the Municipality of Buea, capital of the South West Region.
Concretely speaking, Borstal Institute is located behind the Buea Army (Military) Camp, along the road leading from Clerk’s quarter to Bokwaongo, through the Buea Regional Hospital Annex.
The Institute is bounded on the West by the West Farm quarters, South by the road leading to Bokwaongo, East by Camp Sic and on the North by Woteke village – Small Soppo.
Specifically, the Institute is about some 250 meters from Hotel Mermoz, located at Long Street Small Soppo – Buea.
SURFACE AREA COVERED:
Borstal Institute now covers a total land
surface area of about 6.5 hectares from the original 13.69 hectares due to Land
encroachment.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTE:
Background:
Borstal Institute Buea got its name from an English man who served in the former West Cameroon as a Prison Superintendent under Britain, where the first Re-education Center was created.
Prior to its creation in 1965, minor and major criminals were all heaped or gathered in the same cells and under the same conditions in the Buea Production Prison. Later on, the minors were separated from the majors and taken to KANU and ENUGU in Nigeria where special Prisons for minors were run by the British. This exercise did not last due to the distance, cost and risk involved in the Transportation of minors from this part of Cameroon to Northern Nigeria. The creation of a center became the option; that of bringing children from different areas to a particular environment.
Upon creation in 1965, the Institute had only 60% of its building realised. From 1965 – 1973, this Institute operated with Warders only.
It effectively and officially went operational under the care of Social Educators in 1975, following a Presidential Decree Nº 73/115 of 22nd March 1973 relating to the Organization and Functioning of the BORSTAL INSTITUTE Buea.
Today:
Borstal institute is a state re-education institute that has been existing since 1965 and placed under ministry of social affairs. This institute that has since it's creation trained 1068 trainees has as major objective to implement government social policy within the frame work of the fight of juvenile delinquents, social maladjustment, irresponsible parent hood and the non-respect of the right of the child as enshrined in the united nations convention on the right, the child (adopted by the united nation general assembly on November 20 1989) to which Cameroon is a signatory.
In other words, the Borstal Institute is concerned with the protection, re-education, rehabilitation, reinsertion of juvenile delinquent, social maladjusted youths, abandoned or street and destitute children aged 12-17 whose moral upbringing, security and or education are likely to be compromised.
In other to meet up with these objectives, the institute has been organized and subdivided into 05 main sections. These include:
1) Educative and Re-socialization sector. It ensures the production, Reeducation/Rehabilitation ans social Reinsertion of trainees.
2) Professional Training Sections. Provides training, skills development and the promotion of self employment in the areas such as; wood work, motor mechanic ad driving, welding, livestock, agriculture and information technology.
3) School Section. Offers academic, civic, and moral education to trainees and children of the surrounding neighborhoods.
4) Medico-Sanitary. Takes care of the health need of the trainees and staff .
5) Documentation Section. Collects conserves and provides data and relevant information on the institute to the public and researchers.
REASONS FOR THE CREATION OF THE BORSTAL INSTITUTE
a) To separate minors from major criminals
b) To improve on the conditions of minors in detention
c) To reduce distance, cost and risk involved in the transportation of minors from this part of Cameroon to Northern Nigeria.
d) To ensure the PROTECTION, RESOCIALISATION/REHABILITATION and REINSERTION of:
i - Juvenile Delinquents
ii - Socially Maladjusted Youths/Status Offenders
iii - Delicate Social cases: Orphans, Abandoned children, Run-away or Street
children, all aged between 12 and 18 years, following court instructions.
a) To give these children a chance and a hope for a better and a brighter
future.
HOLDING CAPACITY OF BORSTAL INSTITUTE
Borstal has a holding capacity of 120 Minors/Trainees.
NUMBER OF MINORS WHO HAVE PASSED THROUGH THE CENTER
The Centre has passed out some 1048 Minors/Trainees from available records since its creation in 1965.
REAL
CAPACITY OF THE CENTER
The real capacity of the Center as at the moment stands at one hundred and twenty (120) maximum.
NUMBER OF TRAINEES PRESENT IN THE CENTER
|
Registered |
Absconded |
On Parental visit |
Present in the Centre |
|
36 |
06 |
3 |
27 |
DIFFERENT SERVICES OFFERED IN THE CENTER
There are in all five main Sections in the Institute offering various services as illustrated below:
|
S/N |
SECTION |
SERVICES OFFERED |
|
1 |
Educative and Re-socialisation |
Protection, Re-education / Rehabilitation and Social Reinsertion of Trainees. |
|
2 |
Professional Training: · Wood work · Motor Mechanic and Driving · Welding · Livestock · Agriculture · Information and Technology (IT) unit |
Training skills development and the promotion of self employment. |
3 |
School Section |
Offers academic, Civic and Moral Education to Trainees of the surrounding neighborhoods. |
|
4 |
Documentation |
Collects information, Data, documents and other written material on the center and ensures its proper conservation as well as dissemination of relevant information on the Institute to members of the Public. |
|
5 |
Medico-sanitary |
It detects, examines and treats common diseases and infections noticed or reported by trainees and the Public. The section also refers cases it cannot handle to competent Health services. |
N.B. Borstal Institute also
receives and trains students on Internship or Field placement from Higher
Institutions such as the Universities, ENAM, Ecole Normal, National Institute
of Social Work etc.
WHO IS ADMISSIBLE IN THE BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION PROGRAM OF BORSTAL INSTITUTE BUEA?
1 JUVENILE DELINQUENT: This is a youth of age 12 and 17 years who has committed an offence punishable under the Cameroon Penal Code.
2 SOCIALLY MALADJUSTED YOUTH/STATUS OFFENDER: This is a young person whose behavioural patterns are likely to lead him to delinquency and so necessitate adequate measures of prevention and treatment. Examples of such behaviour include:
- Truancy in school
- Vagabondage
- Unacceptable sexual behaviour
- Nocturnal outings
- Family violence
3 DELICATE SOCIAL CASES: These include children in special social situations which may be considered as high risk cases. They include:
- Orphans
- Abandoned children
- Run away or street children
CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION
- Be one of the above mentioned cases
- Be between 12 and 17 years of age and of the male sex
- Be of normal intelligence and normal health.
REFERRAL SYSTEMS
A - JUDICIAL PLACEMENT: Judicial Placement is effected by the presiding
Magistrate of a competent Court for a young person of age below 18 years who
has been duely tried in Court for the commission of an offence punishable under
the Cameroon Penal Code and regulated by the Criminal Procedure Code, but
who by virtue of his age and in accordance with Section 80 of the Cameroon
Penal Code and Section II from Article 712 – 728 of the Criminal Procedure Code,
cannot be sentenced to a jail term but should benefit from Special measures of
child protection and education.
B - ADMINISTRATIVE PLACEMENT: At the initiative of the family or the Social
Welfare services of the locality, a socially maladjusted child, status offender, a
delicate social case (orphans, abandoned child, and family run away) that is
considered to be at high risk, can be recommended for admission to the Borstal
Institute.
The determinate of whether or not to place the child in Borstal Institute is
made by the head of the Regional or Divisional Social Welfare services based on
the findings contained in the Social Enquiry Report.
THE ADMISSION FILE
The admission file should contain the following documents:
· A handwritten application addressed to the Director of Borstal Institute Buea
· A certified copy of Birth Certificate
· A Medical certificate of physical and mental fitness
· A Social Enquiry Report
· A Placement Order issued by the Court or by the Divisional Delegate of Social Affairs (For Administrative Placement only) who should equally inform the competent Court authority within 48 hours
· A School Attestation (For those attending or of school age)
· A legalised Parental Engagement
· 04 Passport size photos
· Parents participation fees (these include: Insurance, Uniform, Excursion, Health care, Caution etc.)
For any further information or in case of doubts as to the procedure of admission to the Borstal Institute, call or write to:-
Tel/Fax: Office 33 32 23 19 ............................ Cell 33 10 39 58
The Director
Borstal Institute
P.M.B. 16 Buea
Website: www.borstalinstitutebuea.yolasite.com
E-mail: borstalbuea1@gmail.com
