THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant development, the number of children in conflict with law (CCL) under the KAVAL scheme has seen a sharp rise from its initial days.
According to the data by the State Child Protection Society (SCPS), the number of children under the scheme has reached a total of 4,608 in the financial year 2024-25, against the figures of 346 when the scheme came into effect in three districts in its inception year 2016-17, and 1,475 when it became active across the state.
This includes all children referred by the juvenile justice board who have been apprehended and whose case is either currently ongoing or found to have engaged in the practice. Sources also revealed that around 34% of the CCLs who have been included in the scheme recently have psychiatric issues too.
Senior officials working with the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department commented that this should be seen as a positive trend, as the children receive proper care and monitoring at an early stage, thereby reducing their tendency to return to crime in future.
While an assessment by the WCD and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in 2015 found that 13.4% CCLs exhibited recidivism in the state, against the backdrop of which KAVAL was formulated.
However, in what can be seen as a policy success, the rates of reoffending dropped among CCL to 3.8% in 2024. Sources close to the department also informed that a significant fraction of these reoffenders includes those with psychiatric issues. The increase, according to officials from the SCPS, is due to the increased sensitisation of the police officials.
“Earlier, police officials were not sensitised about how to handle crimes involving CCLs. But with repeated training, both from the police and WCD departments, they have understood the significance of identifying vulnerable children and bringing them under this scheme,” said KAVAL programme coordinator Sreenesh S Anil.
The deployment of child welfare protection officers in all police stations and proper preparation of Social Background Report (SBR) once they fall under the scheme’s purview has helped the system to help the children, he added.
Adding to this, child rights activist Subair K K commented that this internationally acclaimed scheme has helped Kerala to reduce its recidivism rates far better than other states. “When a child does a wrong thing, they will get few exemptions before it reaches parents and police. With the police officers also getting sensitised, they now understand that it is better for the children also to be included in the scheme before they commit bigger crimes,” he said.