A/68/274 right to freedom from violence and discrimination, to free and safe participation in proceedings throughout the restorative justice process, and to legal and other relevant assistance. • Legislation should provide law enforcement, prosecutors and the judiciary with options for diverting children away from the criminal justice system and promoting restorative justice processes at all stages of the proceedings; it should include alternative and educative measures such as warning, probation, judicial supervision and community work, to be applied in combination with restorative justice processes or when restorative justice is not appropriate. Children’s right to recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration should be firmly expressed in legislation. • Legislation should recognize that restorative justice and informal justice or conflict resolution mechanisms, while being accessible at the local and community levels and playing an important role in the protection and reintegration of children, should never jeopardize children’s rights or preclude children from accessing the formal justice system. Training and guidance • Effective training should be assured to all relevant law enforcement and justice actors, including the police, prosecutors, the judiciary, probation officers, lawyers, social workers, facilitators and mediators. It should provide skills to promote dialogue, manage emotions and conflict, and secure safety of child participants; and address child rights and relevant legislation, as well as diversion, restorative justice processes and other alternative non-custodial measures. Guidelines and standard operational procedures should be developed for professionals involved in this process. Coordination, adequate resources, data and research • Coordination between restorative justice service providers and justice actors should be institutionalized at the national and local levels, and close cooperation should be encouraged between relevant stakeholders. Availability of a sufficient number of well-trained professionals in the area of restorative justice should be secured. Data, research and evaluation of restorative justice programmes for children should be promoted as a critical dimension of this process to safeguard the best interests of the child at all times, promote the child’s reintegration and prevent violence and recidivism. Awareness-raising and social mobilization • Awareness-raising campaigns should be undertaken at the national and local levels with relevant stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders and the media, to enhance understanding of restorative justice and promote child-friendly attitudes among justice professionals and service providers, and to sensitize the general public to the importance of restorative justice processes. • The role of civil society organizations in the implementation of restorative justice programmes should be promoted; furthermore, mapping and mobilizing 14/26 13-41970