SPARC PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad, FEB 19, 2009
SPARC Launches Documentary on JJSO
Over 9,000 Juvenile Offenders in Pakistan
“Detention As A Last Resort!”
In Pakistan, there are about 9,000-10,000 juvenile offenders, while at any given time as many as 2,500 children are languishing in different jails of the country. A large number of them are released on bail but they remain in contact with the criminal justice system in Pakistan. The majority have committed petty crimes, said a Press Release issued by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) in Islamabad today.
Speaking at the launch of the first ever documentary on the rules and regulation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) 2000, “Detention As A Last Resort!”, Executive Director SPARC Mr Qindeel Shujaat said “the main objective of the documentary is to raise awareness among the stakeholders such as police and prison staff and the judiciary on how to handle children who come in contact and conflict with the law and end up in the criminal justice system.”
Explaining the concept and content of the documentary, SPARC National Programme Manager Juvenile Justice Mr Rafiq Khan stated the documentary looks at five very important aspects of the juvenile justice system in Pakistan; 1.determination of age, minimum age of criminal responsibility and Frontier Crime Regulations 1901; 2.exclusive juvenile courts and free legal assistance; 3.diversion mechanism such as probation; 4.Borstal Institutions and living conditions in jails; 5.punishments and the issue of death penalty. Each part has been looked at from three different angles. What is the legal framework? How is it being implemented? And finally, what should be done?
“Detention As A Last Resort!” emphasis on the following fundamental issues to save children from the hardships of prison life; compulsory birth registration; repeal of the Frontier Crime Regulations; setting up of exclusive juvenile courts; activate Department of Reclamation and Probation to prevent children from entering the jails; setting up of reformatory and rehabilitation centers; and ban death penalty for juvenile offenders under any and every law in Pakistan.
Ms Nukhbat Malik, the Director of the documentary while sharing her experience said “this was the first time that I was making a film on children and with children. What I realized was that once the children felt that they were being recognized as an entity my work became easy. I feel that if we recognize the children and respect them, their issues and problems can be dealt with effectively.”
Speaking on the occasion SPARC Board member, Mr Anees Jillani appreciating SPARC’s efforts in protecting the rights of children who come into conflict with law, stated that documentary in this regard is a step in the right direction, and it would help in creating awareness about the issue. He called upon the Government to resort to alternative measures instead of opting for detention of children who are accused of committing crimes. The authorities should start with giving warnings, community and social work, placement on probation, before resorting to the harsh treatment of imprisoning children for extended periods of time.
It is a fact that detention either in the judicial lockup, police station (Thaana), jails or any other detention centers further exacerbates the situation by exposing children to multiple forms of abuse including sexual violence, psycho-social damage and death through murder and extra-judicial killing.
The essence of juvenile justice system is to save the children who come into conflict with the law from exploitation, abuse, injustice and discrimination by providing them the environment where they are treated with care, respect, understanding and compassion so that they are capable of becoming responsible and productive citizens of Pakistan and not hardened criminals.
Kashif Mirza
Asst. Manager Communication
0300-2193086
qashif.mirza@gmail.com
www.sparcpk.org
|
