WORKSHOP CUM SEMINAR ON ‘FURTHERING JUSTICE DELIVERY STANDARDS FOR CHILDREN’, ERNAKULAM, KERALA. Date : 28-12-2007
Legal Assistance Forum in association with UNICEF organized an All India Seminar on 'Furthering Justice Delivery Standards for Children ' on 28th December, 2007 at Town Hall, Ernakulam, Kerala.
The Seminar was inaugurated by
Hon'ble Mr. Justice K.G.Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India.
In the presence of
Hon'ble Mr. Justice J.B.Koshy, Judge, Kerala High Court and Executive Committee of Kerala Legal Services Authority
Hon’ble Mr. Justice R.Basant, Judge, Kerala High Court,
Hon’ble Mrs. Justice K.K.Usha, Former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court Smt. P.K. Sreemathi, Hon’ble Minister for Health & Social Welfare, Govt. of Kerala,
Mr. K.K.Mani, Addl. Director, Kerala Social Welfare Dept.,
Sri. P.G. Thampy, Director General of Prosecution & Chairman, Bar Council of Kerala,
Sri Jacob Punnoos, IPS, Addl. Director General of Police, Kerala,
Sri. Ajith Joy, IPS, UNODC,
Hon’ble Mr. Justice K. John Mathew, President, People’s Council for Social Justice, and
Sri. Raghavanunni, Regional Asst. Director, Kerala Social Welfare Dept.
The gathering included judicial magistrates, the members of Juvenile Justice Boards and Superintendents of Observation Home and Special Home, Police officers, probationary officers and the students of Rajagiri College who have actively participated in the workshop cum seminar.
Inaugural Session
The inaugural session of the seminar started with prayer
Sri. K.L.Varghese, President, LAF, Kerala Chapter, introduced the guests and welcomed the gathering of about 350 persons comprising of various stake holders in the Juvenile Justice system and including Members of the Juvenile Justice Board, Officials from the Social Welfare Department, Police Officers, Social workers, Legal fraternity and people from other walks of life. He highlighted the commitment of the guests towards the cause and welcomed each one of them individually. He also welcomed the participants who came from all over the State to be a part of the seminar.
Mr. Vijay Hansaria, National President, LAF in his address explained aims and objectives of the Forum and highlighted the activities undertaken so far. Mr. Hansaria stated that under the project, a User's Manual for stake holders under Juvenile Justice Act shall be prepared after in depth study of the existing system in the States of Kerala, Rajasthan and Assam. He shared his concerns about issues like juvenile offenders awaiting trial for a long time, innocent children of female prisoners who are forced to live in prisons with their mothers etc. and said that the problems encountered by the Forum while working on Juvenile Justice system in different parts of the country was the reason behind project. He also announced the launching of Project Soharthm (Social Harmony Through Mediation), by LAF in Ernakulam District, Kerala.
Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.G Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India delivering the inaugural address urged immediate necessity of legislation for providing punishment to the parents of those children who are deprived of education and force for child labour. While remembering his encounters with juvenile issues on the Bench, Hon'ble Chief Justice emphasized the need for having well informed and inspired stake holders and NGOs to handle the children in conflict with law and in need for care and protection. He said that the proposed user's manual to be prepared by Legal Assistance Forum will go a long way in bringing uniformity in the justice delivery standards for children across the country and wished great success in its endeavors.
Hon'ble Mr. Justice J.B.Koshy, Judge, Kerala High Court and Executive Chairman of Kerala Legal Services Authority in his Key note address deliberated upon wide ranging issues and highlighted the role of legal fraternity in ensuring that children get a fair deal in the justice delivery system. He assured support of Kerala Legal Services Authority in the efforts of Legal Assistance Forum.
Smt. P.K. Sreemathi, Hon’ble Minister for Health & Social Welfare, Government of Kerala in her address opined that the quality of Juvenile Justice System can witness a substantial improvement if various stakeholders interact together and finalise a realistic action plan. The minister hoped that the outcome of this national seminar will be a concrete step towards implementation of various child centric legislations and ensured the whole hearted support of the State Government in this endeavor. Smt. Sreemathi also stated that in the State of Kerala, Juvenile Justice Act has been implemented well which can be seen from the fact that there are minimal number of pending cases and less number of children in Observation and Special Homes. In fact there are very few cases where the trial proceedings have gone above a year.
Mr. Sony Kutty George, Project Officer, UNICEF, India apprised the participants about the rights of children engraved in the Convention on Rights of Child (CRC) to which India is also a signatory. He shared his experiences of visiting different Juvenile Justice Boards in different States of the country and he appreciated the functioning of Juvenile Justice Board in Kerala where the implementation of Juvenile Justice Act was comparatively much better. He also stated that UNICEF is taking steps in the implementation0 of Juvenile Justice Act and 2007 Rules all over the country in collaboration with NGOs like LAF for giving speedy and effective justice delivery standards for children.
