Such a move would not address heinous crime problems, claim experts
Child rights activists have objected to the Delhi government’s proposal to prosecute as adults any juvenile above age 15 found involved in heinous crime saying that such a move would not address the problems.
The proposal was mooted by the Arvind Kejriwal government after two boys, aged 16 and 17, were accused of raping a two-and-a-half-year-old girl last week in west Delhi’s Nihal Vihar.
“This is totally unacceptable. This is against our global commitment to child rights. Reducing the age is not a solution.
“Even if you reduce the age to 15 and then a 14 year-old commits a similar crime, would you again reduce the age ” asked Centre for Social Research Director Ranjana Kumari.
“The government has to streamline the law and order situation and the punishment for adult offenders in such crimes has to be made stringent so that it sends out a strong message that rapes will not be tolerated in our society,” she added.
According to Sanjay Gupta, director of Chetna NGO, there are several unattended issues concerning children which needed to be looked into. He said studies should be done to understand crimes by juveniles.
“This is not a new debate. We need to do homework on why such incidents are happening in society. There are several unattended issues of children which need looking into instead of just reducing the age of juveniles.
“There is no engagement plan for school drop-outs or for children out of school. Also, sex education should be imparted in primary and secondary schools along with counselling sessions,” said Mr Gupta.
All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) generalsecretary Jagmati Sangwan said that the government should also invest in strengthening the reformative and rehabilitative mechanisms under the juvenile justice law.
“Instead of reducing the age for prosecution as adults, we should help our children grow up to be good individuals by giving them proper and right education. The government should also invest in strengthening the reformative and rehabilitative mechanisms under the juvenile justice law,” she said.
