Judge Explains Why the 8 Utumishi Girls Are ‘Subject Minors’ and not accused persons.

The court noted that it had a mother file before it, alongside separate files opened for the minor subjects because they are all below the age of 18. The judge explained that whenever a court is faced with children, it is required to open files for children in need of protection and care, and that at some point the court would convert itself into a children’s court to handle the matter. The judge directed that the minors should not be referred to as accused persons but as “subjects” or “minor subjects,” warning that any reference to them as accused persons would attract the court’s action. The court further stated that the children would remain masked for their own protection under the Children Act, while parents and guardians would later assist the court in identifying them.