The National Human Rights Commission organized a day-long National Workshop to discuss the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 in New Delhi on the 27th August, 2014. The aim of the Workshop was to discuss the views of civil society organizations to know if any modifications were required in the Bill.
The participants of the Workshop included child rights law experts, NHRC officers, officers from the Ministries/Departments of Women & Child Development, NGOs and civil society organizations.
Inaugurating the Workshop, Shri S.C. Sinha, Member, NHRC emphasized that the importance of the subject cannot be undermined and the proposed Bill should be in conformity with the international norms, especially in consonance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC) and related guidelines.
During the Workshop, several participants brought out the inherent contradictions in the proposed Bill. Inadequacies of the provisions of the proposed Bill were also pointed out. It was strongly felt by the participating NGOs that the proposed Bill not only violated the core principle of juvenile justice under the UNCRC but also the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which had been ratified by the Government of India.
The Commission will thoroughly examine the suggestions emerged from the Workshop and take a decision regarding the views to be conveyed to the Government.