Saturday, July 03, 2010
By Our correspondent
Islamabad
The number of children kept in the nationwide jails has declined from over 5,000 in year 2000 to around 1,300 these days, says National Manager of Society for the Protection of the Right of the Child (SPARC) Juvenile Justice Abdullah Khoso.
While attributing this decline in juvenile detention figures to the promulgation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) in 2000, Khoso wants the government and judiciary to take effective measures to create awareness of this law among quarters concerned, establish juveniles courts, strengthen probation departments, allocate funds for free legal aid of children, and introduce mechanisms for the JJSO’s implementation in Fata.
“It is an achievable task, which can bring relief to thousands of children and help them become good and productive citizens,” Khoso said on Friday.
He said he was hopeful the number of jailed juveniles would further decline in the days ahead. “I believe the time is not too far when children will not be kept in cells at least not for petty crimes,” he said.
The SPARC Juvenile Justice manager said in December 2009, the country had 1,357 juvenile prisoners but the number dropped to 1,300 by the end of June 2010, adding there is also a decline in the number of children ending up in criminal justice system in petty offences. He, however, said 9,000 to 10,000 children are currently facing criminal litigation and appearing in courts.
He said over the last decade, police had been found torturing juvenile offenders at police stations, judicial officers giving physical remand of juveniles to police, and juveniles being awarded rigorous imprisonment, detained along with adults in police lockups and jails, and tried by anti-terrorist courts. He said the 2009 Judicial Policy focused on quick disposal of cases but unfortunately, didn’t check violations of rights of juvenile offenders before trials, during trials and in prisons.
Khoso regretted the country had no exclusive juvenile court, which led to the children’s trial along with adults. He also complained special procedures of the juvenile courts were not being followed, children being awarded death penalty under different laws including Anti-Terrorist Law, juveniles coming in conflict with the law being denied mandatory free legal aid by the state, and children facing bailable offences not being released on bail by police.
He also pointed out that there was no proper and viable mechanism to determine the age of the juvenile offender and that could ruin his/her life.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=248544
Monday, July 5, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
1,300 juveniles in jails: report
ISLAMABAD, July 1: Pakistani jails hold at least 1,300 juvenile prisoners and an up to 10,000 children are facing criminal litigation and appearing in courts.
These statistics come from a report launched by the Society for Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) here Thursday on the 10th anniversary of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO).
According to the report, there were 1,357 juvenile prisoners in jails in December 2009, and the number dropped to 1,300 by the end June.
Speaking at the report launch, National Manager Juvenile Justice Abdullah Khoso said the noticeable decline in the number of juvenile prisoners was an achievement of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, which was promulgated in 2000 when the figure was anything over 5,000.
“Sparc commemorates 10 years of the JJSO in the hope that this figure will further decline and there will come a time when children will not be detained in cells, at least not for petty crimes,” Khoso noted.
Despite this small victory, the JJSO has failed the children who come in conflict with the law in many ways. The JJSO saw many upheavals but the jolt came when it was struck down by the Lahore High Court on December 6, 2004.
Sparc and the then attorney general filed a petition contesting the LHC’s action.
The Supreme Court has temporarily restored its status, yet it has not received any support from the implementing agencies, he added.
Over the decade, Khoso said police had tortured the juvenile offenders at police stations, judicial officers gave physical remand of juveniles to the police, and juveniles were awarded rigorous imprisonment and detained along with adults in police lockups and jails and were tried by the anti-terrorism courts.
Similarly, the government has not notified the JJSO rules in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and as such Frontier Crimes Regulation 1901 is haunting children as young as three years.
He said provinces had failed to strengthen reclamation and probation departments, which would help release children on probation and save them from being jailed.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/islamabad/1%2C300-juveniles-in-jails-report-270
These statistics come from a report launched by the Society for Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) here Thursday on the 10th anniversary of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO).
According to the report, there were 1,357 juvenile prisoners in jails in December 2009, and the number dropped to 1,300 by the end June.
Speaking at the report launch, National Manager Juvenile Justice Abdullah Khoso said the noticeable decline in the number of juvenile prisoners was an achievement of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, which was promulgated in 2000 when the figure was anything over 5,000.
“Sparc commemorates 10 years of the JJSO in the hope that this figure will further decline and there will come a time when children will not be detained in cells, at least not for petty crimes,” Khoso noted.
Despite this small victory, the JJSO has failed the children who come in conflict with the law in many ways. The JJSO saw many upheavals but the jolt came when it was struck down by the Lahore High Court on December 6, 2004.
Sparc and the then attorney general filed a petition contesting the LHC’s action.
The Supreme Court has temporarily restored its status, yet it has not received any support from the implementing agencies, he added.
Over the decade, Khoso said police had tortured the juvenile offenders at police stations, judicial officers gave physical remand of juveniles to the police, and juveniles were awarded rigorous imprisonment and detained along with adults in police lockups and jails and were tried by the anti-terrorism courts.
Similarly, the government has not notified the JJSO rules in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and as such Frontier Crimes Regulation 1901 is haunting children as young as three years.
He said provinces had failed to strengthen reclamation and probation departments, which would help release children on probation and save them from being jailed.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/islamabad/1%2C300-juveniles-in-jails-report-270
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