JAMMU: Justice Committee, High Court of J&K and Ladakh in collaboration with Department of Social Welfare, UTs of J&K and Ladakh and supported by UNICEF organized two-day consultation on the implementation of POCSO Act 2012 at Police Auditorium, Gulshan Ground, Jammu.
Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Chief Justice, High Court of J&K and Ladakh, was chief guest on the occasion while Justice Tashi Rabstan, Chairman, Juvenile Justice Committee, Justice Rajnesh Oswal and Justice Mohammad Akram Chowdhary, members of JJ Committee were the guests of honour.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Magrey delved into the journey of the juvenile justice system and also POCSO Act, 2012, in the country especially the UTs of J&K and Ladakh. He said that the system in J&K and Ladakh is gaining pace and have arrived at satisfying results in implementing POCSO Act in letter and spirit. He said that due to the efforts of the JJC of the Supreme Court of India and the JJC of J&K and Ladakh, the UTs of J&K and Ladakh are not lagging behind the rest of the country, but a lot is required to be done by creating a robust mechanism.
Justice Tashi Rabstan urged upon the government to organize more such consultations not only at the UT level but at the district and block levels also to make the people aware of the provisions of the legislation. He said that the aim of this conference is to review the working of various institutions involved in carrying out the provisions of the Act.
Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department, Sheetal Nanda, also emphasized the need for holding awareness camps to make not only the children but the parents also aware of the behavior and attitude of the people who are likely to commit offenses against the children. She further said that the conference is a welcome opportunity where all the stakeholders can deliberate upon the provisions of the POCSO Act.
Chief of Child Protection UNICEF India, Soledad Herrero, commended the High Court of J&K and Ladakh for playing a proactive role in implementing not only the Juvenile Justice Act but also POCSO Act. She said that there is a need for greater deliberations over the issues of victims of child abuse.
Member Secretary, Juvenile Justice Committee, Amit Gupta, in his welcome address gave an overview of the programme. He said that this is for the first time that consultations on POCSO Act are being organized by the JJ Committee because earlier all four Round Table Conferences were on the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection) Act.
A vote of thanks was presented by Mission Director Vatsalya, J&K, Harwinder Kour.
The Inaugural Session was followed by three technical sessions. The second session dealt with “Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Re-integration of POCSO survivors” which was chaired by Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal, while Miguel Das Queah, Director UTSAH was the resource person.
The third session on the topic “Capacity Building of Justice for children workforce: Institutionalizing Capacity Building Initiatives”, was chaired by Justice Rahul Bharti, whereas, Harvinder Kour, Mission Director, Vatsalya J&K was the resource person.
The last session of the day dealt with “Child-Friendly Court Procedures”. This session was chaired by Justice Mohammad Akram Chowdhary, whereas, Bharti Ali, Director HAQ was the resource person.
The inaugural session was attended by Judges of the High Court, D. C Raina, Advocate General, Achal Sethi, Law Secretary, Sanjeev Gupta, Registrar General and other officers of the Registry, officers from civil and police administration, judicial officers and delegates from different institutions like the police, social welfare, judiciary, legal services, education, and health both physically and virtually.
