The Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare, in partnership with UNICEF India is organising a two-day national consultation on best practices followed in states and the way forward to further strengthen justice systems for children in conflict with the law, on September 23 and 24 2023 at the Supreme Court, New Delhi.
The inaugural session of the Consultation will be attended by Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India, Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, Justice Ravindra Bhat, Judge and Chairperson of the Juvenile Justice Committee, Supreme Court, Justice B V Nagarathna, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Cynthia McCaffrey, Representative, UNICEF India among other dignitaries.
Key stakeholders from the Government of India, law enforcement agencies, senior members of the judiciary, state governments and civil society will draw from their collective experience gained in their respective fields to discuss prevention of juvenile crime, restorative justice and alternatives to detention during this consultation.
The consultation will close on Sunday, September 24 with reflections from the Government of India, Supreme Court, National Council for the Protection of Child Rights and UNICEF.
According to a statement, as part of its continued commitment towards children, the Supreme Court of India has been conducting these National Stakeholder Consultations on an annual basis, bringing partners from the Ministry of Women and Child Development and other relevant Government sectors, the National and State Commissions for the Protection of Childrens Rights, law enforcement, civil society organizations, child and adolescent voices and others to bring momentum, attention, oversight and direction to priority areas related to the protection of children in India.
This year marks the eighth Round of National Consultation Under the aegis of Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Committee of the Supreme Court of India.
The focus of this years consultation is on Children in Conflict with Law: Prevention, Restorative Justice, Diversion and Alternatives to Detention. These consultations are done through a decentralized approach with states and regions conferring on key issues and then informing a National Consultation.
The Supreme Court of India continues to collaborate with the government and key stakeholders at the national and state levels to build and strengthen adequate structures, systems, and capacities for the effective implementation of relevant national and international legislation related to the protection of children.
The inaugural session of the two day consultation will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fqa4e6xkjVw . Sign language interpreters have also been made available, a press statement said.
