BHUBANESWAR: A State-Level Stakeholders’ Consultation on ‘Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015: A Decade of Implementation and the Way Forward’ was held in the capital city recently, bringing together stakeholders from the judiciary, police, Education and Women and Child Development to deliberate on key aspects of child protection and juvenile justice.
Addressing the consultation, Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Harish Tandon emphasised the need to place prevention at the centre of juvenile justice. “We must address vulnerabilities at the grassroots so that children do not come into conflict with law or enter institutional care,” he said.
The inaugural session also included an overview of the JJ Act and its implementation in Odisha, presented by chairperson of Juvenile Justice Committee, Orissa High Court, Justice Savitri Ratho and Women and Child Development secretary Mrinalini Darswal, and reflections on 10 years of implementation and preventive approaches by UNICEF Odisha chief of field office, Prasanta Dash.
The technical deliberations were organised through four thematic panel discussions. The first panel focused on ‘Rights of Children in Conflict with Law’, including preliminary assessment in heinous offences, while the second panel deliberated on ‘Rights of Children in Need of Care and Protection.’
The third panel focused on ‘Family-based Care and Adoption’, covering prevention of family separation, adoption and foster care, while the fourth panel deliberated on ‘Offences against Children’, with focus on prevention of offences against children, child-friendly procedures by police and courts.
Participants emphasised the need for continued strengthening of the system through enhanced infrastructure, stronger institutional mechanisms and greater inter-departmental coordination.
