KOCHI: Juvenile Justice Boards, set up in five districts of the State, would be taking up a campaign to end child beggary, said K.K. Mani, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department.

These campaigns will be taken up at Ernakulam, Kollam, Idukki, Thrissur and Kozhikode.

An action plan is being worked out for the campaign that will be rolled out in six months, he said.

"For this, juvenile courts need to come into place, which will provide a child-friendly atmosphere during hearing of cases," Mr Mani said.

The standard norms followed by the judiciary in awarding punishment needs to be changed to resolve the child's conflict with law.

Mr. Mani had recently coordinated a training session for the members of the Board in Kochi. The training, organised in association with the People's Council for Social Justice and UNICEF, was to make the members aware of child's rights.

Thiruvananthapuram city had led a similar campaign with Chief Judicial Magistrate S. Soman playing a lead role.

In fact, the effect of the campaign was felt in Kollam and also the neighbouring cities in Tamil Nadu, to where the begging mafia seems to have shifted its operations temporarily, said Mr. Mani.

Three-month drive

The three-month campaign in the State capital led to 64 cases of child beggary being taken up. According to Mr. Mani, the mafia, which controls children and adults in beggary, had to abandon the city.

The adults, who had accompanied children for begging were rounded up and held for non-bailable offences while children rounded up were taken to children's homes for their repatriation and rehabilitation.

As a precursor to the similar campaign to be launched in other districts, the Social Welfare Department, with support from UNICEF, will be conducting training for the Station House Officers in the Police. There are 440 SHOs and the three-day training will be held in 11 batches.

Probationary officers are also needed for efficient functioning of the Board. However, only three districts — Thrissur, Idukki and Kozhikode — have such an officer.

The Board, which has powers equal to that of a district judge, also has to follow certain norms like disposing a case within four months, providing a child-friendly atmosphere, providing bail as a matter of right to the child and issue orders for rehabilitation of children and not conviction.

The Child Welfare Committees, which have to function hand-in-hand with the Boards, have been formed only in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Idukki, while care and protection homes for children are there in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Thrissur.

Other districts are yet to get going in making their streets child-friendly, at least on paper.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail