Proposed Juvenile Justice Bill violates core principle of UN norms, says NHRC

New Delhi: The proposed Juvenile Justice Bill violates the core principle of juvenile justice provided under UN Convention on Child Rights (UNCCR), the NHRC said today. The observation came up at a day-long workshop organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) here to discuss the views of civil society organizations on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill. [caption id=“attachment_1685333” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Participants at the workshop also brought out inherent contradictions and inadequacies of certain provisions in the Bill, a statement issued by NHRC said. “It was strongly felt by the participating NGOs that the proposed Bill not only violated the core principle of juvenile justice under the UNCRC but also the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which have been ratified by the Government of India,” the statement said. The Commission will thoroughly examine the suggestions that emerged at the Workshop and take a decision regarding the views to be conveyed to the Government, it said. Inaugurating the Workshop, NHRC member SC Sinha emphasised that the proposed Bill should be in conformity with the international norms, especially in consonance with the UN Convention on Child Rights and related guidelines. Officials of Ministries/Departments of Women & Child Development, NHRC, legal experts, representatives of national and state commissions, technical institutions, NGOs and civil society organisations attended the workshop. PTI