Union Cabinet has cleared the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 to curtail the blanket immunity provided to the juveniles under the age of 18 from criminal prosecution in grave cases. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 was drafted to repeal and re-enact the existing Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, and to deter the child offenders from committing such crimes and to protect the right of the victim to justice.
The purpose of the proposed revisions in the JJ Act, 2000 is:
- To bring more clarity in the role and procedures of statutory structures such as Child Welfare Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards.
- To strengthen punitive measures for offences committed against children and including new offences such as corporal punishment, ragging and using child for vending, peddling, carrying, supplying or smuggling any intoxicating liquor, narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.
- To Streamline and strengthen measures for adoption including providing statutory status to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
- To make it mandatory for all child care institutions to register and stringent penalty in case of non-compliance.
-Press Information Bureau
