A consultation on draft legislation for introducing antisocial behaviour measures in Northern Ireland was launched this month by criminal justice minister John Spellar.
David Guilfoyle, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Youth Council, said: "One of our main concerns is that young people in Northern Ireland have not been consulted. We have offered to help the Northern Ireland Office but have had no response."
And a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland commissioner for children and young people said: "The draft legislation would damage existing examples of best practice aimed at reducing youth crime and would criminalise many children from the age of 10."
Transplanting an English law into Northern Ireland did not taken into account specific situations, said Guilfoyle. He said antisocial behaviour orders could lead to the naming and shaming of young people in the media and could potentially put them in danger of being "punished" by rogue paramilitary groups.
