Bhubaneswar: Prevention should be at the heart of juvenile justice and vulnerabilities confronting children must be addressed at the grassroots to ensure they do not come into conflict with the law or enter institutional care, Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court Justice Harish Tandon said on Sunday.
“Prevention must be at the heart of juvenile justice. We must address vulnerabilities at the grassroots so that children do not come into conflict with the law or enter institutional care,” Justice Tandon said while addressing a state-level stakeholders’ consultation on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, in Bhubaneswar.
The consultation, titled “Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015: A Decade of Implementation and the Way Forward”, brought together senior judicial officers, government officials, police officers, child rights experts, representatives of civil society organisations and other stakeholders to review the implementation of the Act in Odisha over the past decade and discuss measures to strengthen the juvenile justice system.
The consultation was jointly organised by the Juvenile Justice Committee of the High Court of Orissa and the Department of Women & Child Development, Government of Odisha, in association with UNICEF Odisha.
Justice Savitri Ratho, Chairperson of the Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa; Dr Mrinalini Darswal, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development; and Prasanta Dash, Chief of Field Office for Odisha, UNICEF, were among those who participated in the consultation.
The event brought together stakeholders from the judiciary, police, Women & Child Development, School and Mass Education, the State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, child protection institutions, legal services authorities, academia, UNICEF and civil society organisations.
The discussions centred on strengthening prevention, rehabilitation and family-based care, while improving institutional mechanisms for children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection.
An overview of the Juvenile Justice Act and its implementation in Odisha was presented during the inaugural session by Justice Savitri Ratho and Dr Mrinalini Darswal. Prasanta Dash shared reflections on a decade of implementation and the importance of preventive approaches in child protection.
The technical sessions were divided into four thematic panels.
The first panel discussed the rights of children in conflict with law, including preliminary assessment in heinous offences, pre-production and post-production processes and rehabilitation. Kalpana Purushothaman was the Resource Person and Facilitator. The panel included Shyni S, ADG of Police, Crime Against Women & Children Wing, Odisha; Hara Prasad Pattnaik, ADJ-cum-P.O., Children’s Court, Khordha; Ashish Pattnaik, Civil Judge (Sr. Divn.) and Principal Magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, Rayagada; Manan Biswas, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF; and Susmita Pattnaik, District Child Protection Officer, Sambalpur.
The second panel focused on the rights of children in need of care and protection (CNCP). Discussions covered vulnerability mapping, prevention of children becoming CNCP, functioning of Child Welfare Committees and case management, including support for children with special needs and rehabilitation through departmental convergence.
Nimisha Srivastava was the Resource Person and Facilitator. The panel comprised Dr N. Thirumala Naik, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of School and Mass Education; Bratati Harichandan (Retd.), State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Odisha; Banita Moharana, Inspector of Police, Crime Against Women & Children Wing, Odisha; Pritikanta Panda, State Programme Manager, Odisha State Child Protection Society; and Swagatika Patra, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Kendrapada.
The third panel deliberated on family-based care and adoption, with a focus on family strengthening and prevention of family separation, adoption and foster care, sponsorship and aftercare.
Prabhat Kumar was the Resource Person and Facilitator. The panel included Babita Patro, Chairperson, Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights; Monisha Banerjee, Director, ICDS & SW, Department of Women & Child Development; Keerthi Vasan V, District Collector & Magistrate, Ganjam; Biraj Swain, Chief Minister’s Chair Professor and Director, Centre for Child Rights, National Law University Odisha; and Prasanta Kumar Palatasingh, Project Director, SANYOG, a civil society organisation working on family-based care.
The fourth panel discussed offences against children, focusing on prevention, child-friendly procedures by the police and courts and legal aid for survivors.
Vedprakash Gautam was the Resource Person and Facilitator. The panel comprised Sunitha Krishnan, Padma Shri Awardee, Anti-Human Trafficking Expert and Social Activist; Janaki Biswal, ADJ-cum-P.O., Special Court under the POCSO Act, Nayagarh; Umashankar Dash, IG, Fire and Emergency Services, Home Guards and Civil Defence; Reenati Mishra, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Sundargarh; and Miguel Das Queah, Child Rights Expert and Support Person under the POCSO Act.
The consultation noted that the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, has brought significant changes to India’s child protection and juvenile justice architecture by providing mechanisms for children in conflict with law as well as children in need of care and protection.
Over the past decade, reforms have also sought to improve adoption processes, strengthen Child Welfare Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards, enhance district-level accountability and align child protection services under Mission Vatsalya.
Participants stressed the need for further strengthening of the system through improved infrastructure, capacity building of frontline personnel, stronger institutional mechanisms and greater coordination among departments.
The discussions also flagged emerging risks faced by children, including cybercrime and online exploitation, trafficking, substance abuse, migration and other forms of vulnerability.
Justice M.S. Raman, Judge, High Court of Orissa, and Member of the Juvenile Justice Committee, extended the vote of thanks to the Chief Justice and other dignitaries, as well as participants and stakeholders, for their support and active participation in the successful organisation of the consultation.
