Bharti Ali, Co-Director of HAQ centre for Child Rights, a Delhi based NGO which deals with children who are offenders of crime and also with the children who are victims of crime feels crime among children is the result of complete social apathy.
Talking to The Pioneer, Bharti who was at Ranchi as a special speaker in a State level workshop on Saturday, said at least one child labour from Jharkhand is rescued in Delhi every day. She also said that the word ‘Child’ is defined only in the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act 2000. Ali strongly feels identification of accused is important in sensitive cases like crime. Excerpts:
You were speaking about Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. What exactly this law is aboutIJ
POCSO Act was notified in November and New Delhi has begun robustly implementating in April this year. POCSO covers all types of sexual exploitations and states that some offences are aggravated. State Child Welfare Committees needs to establish proper linkages since it is usually seen that they fail to coordinate in tracing cases of child violence of their province.
Ensuring the Immediate Victim Compensation scheme which is not in the law is every state government’s responsibility so as to assess the victim protection facilities on time.
In case of medical checkup of a victimized child, what drawbacks have you noticedIJ
Victim’s consent prior to medical checking is important which is usually not taken in our nation. It is shocking that none of the medical authorities bother victim’s medical history during the check up. ‘Chetna’ an NGO has introduced a medical kit for such victims but it is rarely used. Sensitization and training of doctors is essential along with following the guidelines of National Human Rights Commission.
What about Rule 31 of Juvenile Justice ActIJ
This rule states that sexual molestation must be stopped in schools wherein the state government must ensure that this law is implemented in every school. Only Rajasthan has adopted this law and Delhi has drafted. As of now, none of the other states have shown interest. ‘Individual Care Plan’ in Juvenile Justice Act has also not been inculcated in any of the legal system of the Indian States.
Does maturity comes with age of consentIJ
Science has not been able to prove it till date. In India you cannot donate blood before the age of 18 years. A child of 16 years and 18 years are difficult to be treated equally. Both have different laws in case of molestation. Age segregation and Age specific intervention is very important.