Draft Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 circulated for inter-ministerial consultation

Special provisions in the Bill will address heinous offences by children above 16 years of age

Special provisions are proposed to be made in the revision of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 to address heinous offences committed by children above the age of 16 years, which will act as a deterrent for child offenders committing such crimes and will also protect the rights of victim to justice. The other revisions proposed in the JJ Act include: 1)      Bringing in more clarity in the role and procedures of statutory structures such as Child Welfare Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards 2)      Strengthening punitive measures for offences committed against children and including new offences such as corporal punishment, ragging and using child for vending , peddling, carrying , supplying or smuggling any intoxicating liquor, narcotic drug or psychotropic substance 3)      Streamlining and strengthening measures for adoption including providing statutory status to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) 4)      Making it mandatory for all child care institutions to register and stringent penalty in case of non-compliance. A comprehensive Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 , to repeal and re-enact the existing JJ Act 2000 was drafted and placed on the website of the Ministry on 18th June, 2014 for inviting comments from civil society and individuals. The draft Bill was also sent to all State Governments/UT Administrations and National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for their comments. The draft Bill at this stage has been circulated for inter-ministerial consultation. After the approval of the Cabinet, the Bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament. This information was given by Mrs Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in a reply to a starred question in Lok Sabha today. Courtesy: pib.nic.in