Justice Patel invited to attend UNESCO meet on child rights

Justice DN Patel, acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, has been invited to attend the World Congress on Justice for Children being held at UNESCO House in Paris from May 28 to May 30.

Justice Patel happens to be the chairman of the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Jharkhand High Court and has been taking various steps to secure justice for children, particularly those who are in conflict in law, since 2014 in the State.

 Besides him, Justice Madan B Lokur, judge of the Supreme Court and also Chairman of the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Apex Court will also attend the Congress.

The world meet, slated to discuss on measures for strengthening justice system for children, challenges, including disengagement from violent extremism is being organized by a consortium of international organizations comprising the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (IAYFJM), Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh) and Penal Reform International (PRI) alongwith Child Rights International Network(CRIN) and supported by Information for All Programme (IFAP) of UNESCO and the Collaboration of the Belgian, French and German speaking National Commission for UNESCO.

The conclave aims to bring together from all over the world, judges and magistrates, defence lawyers, experts, professionals, representatives of public agencies, institutions and universities specialized in justice systems for children and their families in order to discuss the latest developments in the field and to enhance better coordination to tackle crucial issues and future challenges.

The focus of the Congress is particularly relevant for a Maoist-hit state like Jharkhand as it will dwell upon mainly on the different global trends towards children’s involvements in violent extremism. Recently, there were several reports of Maoists recruiting children in their cadre in Jharkhand. 

Notably, Justice Patel as Executive Chairman of the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) has developed a model for permanent rehabilitation for children lodged in various Observation Homes and the model has got applause from the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Supreme Court as well.

The model for permanent rehabilitation and reintegration of children in conflict with law through skill development was launched for the first time in the country in Jharkhand, by the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) in association with the State Department of Women and Child Welfare.

Steps to reform Observation Homes included linking Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBS) through video conferencing, expeditious inquiry process, facilitating timely production of children, reducing stress among children and parents.

Other steps included commencement of work for Integrated Child Protection Services for Girls in Deoghar.