Summary:

Juvenile Justice Network (JJN) and SPARC's Child Rights Committee Charsadda organized one-day consultative workshop on the role of Lawyers under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) 2000 at Bar Room Charsadda on 23rd December. More than 100 members of Charsadda Bar attended the Consultation.

Mr. Jawad Ullah, Program Coordinator SPARC, gave a brief account of SPARC and its District level Advocacy through Child Rights Committees and said that JJSO has been the first Federal law; on child rights that determines the age of child as below 18 years of age.

Mr. Arshad Mahmood, Coordinator JJN and Deputy National Coordinator SPARC, brain stormed the participants about the developments after the promulgation of the Ordinance in 2000. The most important aspect of this very ordinance, besides certain features, is the provision of free legal aid to the deserving juveniles at the expense of State and Peshawar High Court has notified all the District and Session Judges of the Province to form Panels of Lawyers for the purpose added Mr. Mahmood.

The Law has recently been extended to PATA with our continuous efforts however it is yet to be extended to FATA. It is due to this very discrimination with the people of the tribal areas that children as young as two years old are convicted by name. Mr. Mahmood also requested Charsadda Bar to join hands with JJN in its campaign against the imprisonment of children and women under the FCR.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Noor Alam Khan Advocate threw light on the salient features of the Ordinance and said that the purpose of the law is the reformation and protection of the children coming in conflict with the law. The law is more lenient on the release of children on probation, bail and abolishes the death penalty for minors to serve the purpose of the reformation and rehabilitation of a child. Imprisonment has been defined as the last resort keeping in view the best interest of a child.

Mr. Shams-Ur-Rahman Advocate, President Charsadda Bar, thanked JJN for organizing of the workshop and gave a more in depth insight of the law to the lawyers about their role and its salient features. He also assured full cooperation on behalf of Charsadda Bar for the proper implementation of law in the District.

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Organisation Contact Details:

Society for the Protection for the Rights of the Child
House 151-B, Street 37, F-10/1
Islamabad, Pak
OR
P.O. Box 301, Islamabad

Tel: + 92 51 2291559 - 2291553
Email: ed@sparcpk.org; pme@sparcpk.org
Website: www.sparcpk.org

Last updated 05/01/2005 11:57:57

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