State level meeting
held on ‘Foster Care Under Juvenile Justice Act 2015’ and ‘Need of quality
services for children to protect their well-being’
Vinay Kumar
Chandigarh
While focusing on ‘Foster Care Under
Juvenile Justice Act 2015’ and ‘Need of quality services for children to
protect their well-being’, a state level meeting held here at convention hall
of Chandigarh Judicial Academy on Saturday. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jaswant Singh,
Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, in his key note address said that no
doubt, studies show that children who receive adequate parental supervision are
less likely to engage in criminal activities. Family is the first crucial group
in the life of child and no one can say at birth that a child will inevitably
become a delinquent nor it can be said that it will inevitably remain a
law-abiding citizen. However, ‘Juvenile Justice (care and protection of
children) Act 2015’ is a landmark legislation which has been enacted to
consolidate and amend the law relating to children alleged and found to be in
conflict with law and children in need of care and protection by catering to
their basic needs through proper care, protection, development, treatment,
social reintegration, Hon’ble Judge added. Hon’ble Judge further said that this
entire ambit of services is to be provided to the child by adopting a
child-friendly approach in the adjudication and disposal of matters in the best
interest of children. While elaborating about the passing of the first
Juvenile Justice Act 1986 and following the Beijing Rules to ratification of
UNCRC in 1992 and the successive Acts thereafter, he said these are an
extensive, inclusive and systematic structures of services for children
requiring care and protection of the state and the manner of execution in the
way that are child friendly at every step of the way. Hon’ble Judge also
told about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child which
recognizes the child right to alternative family care under Article 20 and 21.
He also said that the Indian Constitution unequivocally protects the rights of
the child under Article 15(3). However, Articles 14, 19 and 21 also
protect the best interests of child. Hon’ble Justice Jaswant Singh also
told about certain standards of care under which he elaborated in detail
regarding need of quality services for children in order to protect their
well-being. Hon’ble Justice Jaswant Singh, also added that through such
workshop we have an opportunity to deliberate on how to promote the concept of
Foster Care with the sole aim of reducing the child’s period of stay in
institutions and increasing family-based care for children. Hon’ble Justice
Jaswant Singh also asked all the distinguished personalities present in the
workshop to take pledge today about conscious effort to reduce the period of
stay of children in the institutions and find families for all children keeping
the principles of Best Interest of the Child in mind. However, other
distinguished personalities including Dr. K P Singh DG, state vigilance bureau,
Haryana, Ms Vasundhra MD, Centre of Excellence in Alternative Care, Dr.
Vageshwari Deswal, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, Amod k Kanth, general
secretary, Prayas and Neil Robert, co-ordinator, Chandigarh legal services
Authority also addressed the ‘meeting’.
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