Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) organised a one-day consultation on "The role of police under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) 2000". The consultation was attended by police officers, representatives of social welfare, home and probation department.
While introducing the topic, Hakeem Ghulam Siddique of Sparc informed the participants that Sparc is working for the promotion and protection of child rights in Sindh through awareness, advocacy and research. The purpose of this consultation is to inform police about their role under the JJSO and create awareness in the ranks of the police about child rights and juvenile justice. Sparc Deputy National Co-ordinator Arshad Mahmood briefed the participants about the salient features of JJSO.
This is responsibility of the concerned SHO to inform the parents or guardians and probation officers about the arrest of a child, Mahmood said. He lamented the limited number of probation officers and number of female probation officers in Sindh.
Sparc's Child Participation Officer Shumaila Waheed and Superintendent of Police Sharjeel Kharal briefed the participants about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Kharal said it is the duty of the police officers to follow JJSO while treating children in conflict with the law.
Advocate Zia Ahmed Awan also spoke about various legal provisions for the protection of the rights of children. Sindh Children Act 1955 is a comprehensive law about child rights, but couldn't be implemented properly, Awan said.
He said that awareness among the ranks of the police is very important and efforts should be made by all, including the government. Sindh Assembly member Humera Alwani appreciated Sparc for organising the consultation on such an important topic.-PR
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