Stakeholders discuss ways to strengthen state’s judicial system

EMN
Dimapur, August 29

On Saturday, August 29, various governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations met in Kohima to discuss ‘strengthening the judicial system’ in dealing with juveniles and equip them ‘for the smooth functioning and effective implementation of the justice delivery system’.
The Kohima District legal District Legal Services Authority (KDLSA) collaborated with the State Child Protection Society to organize the training program focusing on the theme of ‘strengthening the justice delivery system, and its ‘tools and techniques’.
The training was conducted for members of the Juvenile Justice Board, Special Juvenile Police Unit, District Child Protection Society, Child Welfare Committee, prosecutors, nongovernment organization Childline, lawyers and members of the KDLSA.Mezivolu T Therieh, chief judicial magistrate gave the opening remarks. She stated that the purpose of initiating the program was to bring all the functionaries dealing with juveniles together and equip them ‘for the smooth functioning and effective implementation of the justice delivery system’.
Nino Iralu, NJS, Member Secretary of the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority & Special Judge also addressed the event. In her short speech, she expressed gratitude to the Kohima District Legal Services Authority and State Child Protection Society for their tireless effort in organizing this program. She said that programs such as this will ‘surely have a good impact since the participants are from the different departments which deal with child rights’, protection and enforcing agencies’.
According to Iralu, ‘We need to work hard for the restoration and rehabilitation for the children’.
Public Prosecutor of Kohima, Imtiakum, who also delivered a short speech, appreciated the efforts of the Kohima District Legal Services Authority and the State Child Protection Society for organizing the training program. He spoke about Article 39A of the Constitution of India which he said ‘has been inserted in order to give access to justice for all and as a result the National Legal Services Authority, State Legal Services Authority, District Legal Services Authority are been set up to reach the unreached’. He lamented the prevailing justice delivery system “in some courts”. He has ‘appealed to the bar and the bench’ to work together and create a ‘friendly environment for the victims and the witnesses so that they will not feel like they are treated at par with the criminals’.
Resource person YM Imchen, the District & Session Judge Kohima and the Chairman KDLSA spoke on the topic “laws and legislation relating to children in conflict with law”, he highlighted on the Acts which are enacted for the children in need of care and protection such as Juvenile Justice Act 2000 (JJA), Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, provisions under the Indian Penal Code, Child Labour (prohibition and regulation) Act 1986, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006.
Resource person Y Longkumer, registrar of Gauhati High Court, Kohima bench spoke about the prevention of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. She said that it was a specific and comprehensive law to protect the children that are faced with sexual offences. India has the highest population of children in the world and according to a survey, the rate of sexual abuse against children is ‘shooting up alarmingly and the same is happening in Nagaland,’ she said.
She also said that an important aspect of the Act namely, section 29, puts the burden of proof on the accused. She said that all the stakeholders need to coordinate and recognize and identify their roles for an effective justice delivery system.
Resource person Themmungla Raman, clinical psychologist with the State Mental Health Institute in Kohima spoke on two topics namely personality development skills and ‘psychological perspective and treatment of children in need of care and protection’. She highlighted various techniques and measures to be taken while handling children and also those children who are in conflict with law or in need of care and protection.
According to Raman, biological, family, and social conditions impact a child’s personality development, with parents playing a crucial role. ‘Maturity does not always come with experience but happen overtime as well’, she said and mentioned that a child’s maturity was fully developed only by the age of 25 years. Therefore, she said, children should be handled with care.
Raman also mentioned that the anxiety of a child depends on the marital relationship and environment of the family at home. She stressed that violence was a learned behavior and the entire family needs to address the issue together. She mentioned a case study where a particular child in conflict with the law and having behavioral abnormalities originated from a medical sickness. ‘Positive reinforcement, culture of conversation, feelings, explorative dialogues, discussion of problems within the family is of utmost importance for the development of a child’, she said. Each child is unique and needs to be treated with care, she said.
Also, resource person K Ela, director of Prodigal’s Home & Childline of Dimapur spoke about ‘coordination mechanism.’ Without proper coordination among the functionaries that deal with children, she said, ‘things will go off track’. She urged the participants to work together to give children who come in conflict with the law, to provide a better mechanism for rehabilitation and a normal childhood.
Ela also said that the stakeholders under the juvenile justice delivery system include the child, family and community and from the law enforcers to the Media, government departments to the community-based organizations. ‘A good networking device is needed for the various stakeholders to come together and perform their roles to provide a holistic support to the child,’ she said.
Ela mentioned a few recognized agencies namely Wondang-ki, Mothers’ Hope, Radiant Educational Society, Kohima Orphanage & Destitute Home and John 3:16, in Mon. She appealed to the stakeholders to educate the society ‘so that our children are given a secured future because if children are secured then it impacts the society in general’.