New legislation without strengthening the juvenile justice delivery system would be a futile
Child rights activist Mr S. Kannayiram urged the government to form a special cell to deal with children who were in conflict with the law
Chennai: While opposing the Central government’s move to reduce the age limit of children covered under the proposed the Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill-2014 from 18 to 16 years, child rights activist Mr S. Kannayiram urged the government on Wednesday to form a special cell to deal with children who were in conflict with the law. Addressing a meeting: Juvenile Justice Bill-2014 – Implications on Children (A Southern states roundtable consultation) in Chennai on Wednesday, he said that the police had failed to deal with children in conflict with the law properly and it was necessary to evolve intervention strategies, including child-friendly investigative techniques with the participation of professionals.
A cell Special Juvenile Police Unit could be established to deal with juvenile children. Designating an officer in police stations as a Child Welfare Officer had not yielded the desired result. Hence, he said a separate cell comprising personnel with basic academic qualifications and specialized training and orientation must be set up.
He added that bringing a new legislation without strengthening the juvenile justice delivery system would be a futile exercise and it could further aggravate problems faced by children. He urged the government to bring out a white paper on the Juvenile Justice delivery system before amending the legislation.
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