Stakeholders have urged the authorities to implement the Juvenile Justice System Act (JJSA) 2018 in letter and spirit.
Legal Awareness Watch Pakistan (LAW) and the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Lahore Bar Association emphasised the need for scientific age determination methods, improved training for probation officers, and better coordination among police, prosecution, and probation departments.
As per the official data, 72 children in Punjab prisons are serving life sentences. Experts call for the relaxation of probation and parole laws for juveniles. They suggested that children in conflict with the law should not be stigmatised, reiterating that “even a dangerous child is a victim.”
Director LAW Sarmad Ali said the Act, promulgated in May 2018 to meet Pakistan’s international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, provides a separate criminal justice system for children with a focus on rehabilitation. He stressed that children in conflict with the law should not be kept in police stations or ordinary prisons but in observation homes during investigation and rehabilitation centres as provided under the law.
He noted that rules under Section 24 of the Act have yet to be notified, and juvenile justice committees under Section 10 remain non-functional at provincial levels, causing delays and increasing the burden on courts. He also highlighted the absence of funds for free legal assistance to children, as required under the Act, and the failure to ensure non-disclosure of children’s identities by authorities and media.
