Three-day workshop on Juvenile Justice Act begins
BHOPAL : “The Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act bars disclosure of the identity of any child who is in conflict with the law or the victim or witness of a crime in any media, including the social media”, said director of ‘Aarambh’ Archana Sahay at a three-day workshop on “Children’s Protection and Role of Police in MP” that opened here on Monday.
The workshop was organised to sensitise the police and child welfare officers, who have the responsibility of taking care of unprotected children. In the workshop the officials put up their queries regarding the JJ Act. Many of them were unaware that an FIR under JJ Act only be filed after the approval of the SHO.
The participants discussed the cases probed by them with Sahay. One of them told her that at Kilol Park he had caught four children begging. They told him that their parents were no more and that their grandmother was looking after them. When the grandmother was questioned, she said that she had no means of livelihood.
Sahay stated that this was a perfect example of a case in which the police have to show sensitivity. These children should be handed over to institutions taking care of such children.
The police officials were informed that they should prevent panwallahs from selling tobacco products to children. Under the JJ Act, a person providing prohibited items to children can be jailed for up to seven years and fined up to Rs 1 lakh.
She also wanted to know that when the police had recovered hundreds of children under ‘Muskan’ campaign, why not even a single case was registered against the parents or the guardians. Parents cannot be indifferent to their children.
Child protection specialist Lolichen PJ and UNICEF consultant Gurjeet Rawat and others also addressed the workshop.
