Vijayawada Deputy Commissioner of Police (administration) Abdul Sattar Khan has urged the newly recruited constables to keep their eyes and ears open at all strategic points such as railways, bus stations and parks to stop minors from committing crime as well as from falling prey to seasoned criminals. He was addressing a seminar on Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act 2000, organised by Forum for Child Rights and Childline, as part of the weeklong World Child Rights Week celebrations at the AR Complex here on Monday.
The DCP pointed out that children were the most vulnerable section of society and sexual crimes, especially against girl child, had been on the rise due to rise in pornographic content on the Internet. He pointed out that a vigilant police officer can save the life of a girl.
Explaining how young girls were being lured to flesh trade and subjected to torture, he said that unfortunately in most of the cases both the victim and the offender fall in the juvenile category. Mr. Khan asked the constables and officers to handle cases involving juveniles with compassion and advised them to read the Juvenile Justice Act, Nirbhaya Act and visit juvenile homes to get the first hand understanding of the scenario.
Former Member of Child Rights Committee and Management Consultant M.C. Das explained the Constitution and role of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and Child Welfare Committee.
Giving a power-point presentation, Mr. Das said that every child enjoys the full range of human rights as per the United Nations norms and was protected by Special Convention of Child Rights.
He said while the JJB deals with children in conflict with law, CWC takes care of children who need care and protection. Spelling out the do’s and don’ts, he cautioned the policemen to read the Acts and sections before taking any action against a juvenile, as one slip might be counter-productive for them.
He also hinted that the Juvenile Justice Act that was formed in 2000 was amended in 2006 and was likely to be amended again post the Nirbhaya case.