Society for the Protection of Rights of Child (Sparc) has demanded of the government on Thursday to activate probation system, which is urgently needed to improve the situation of children in Pakistan.
Addressing a seminar on "Role of Probation Department under Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000", Sparc Regional Manager, Rashid Aziz said the imprisonment of children awaiting trial or on conviction of a criminal offence must always be a last resort.
Every effort must be made by the police, lawyers and courts to find alternatives to custodial sentences. Imprisonment is usually bad for children's physical and mental health; it exposes them to violence and abuse, and teaches them new ways of offending rather than steering them away from criminal activity.
Prisons are not appropriate places to educate children or provide them with the knowledge and life skills they needed to become responsible adults. There are 1107 juveniles, including 164 convicted as on March 1, 2007 in all Punjab jails, he added.
The Punjab government's probation department along with NGOs working for the children welfare attended the seminar. He informed the audience, "There are 46 Probation and 12 Parole officers working with probation department while the number of juveniles' probationers is 36 in the entire province as on February 2007. Total 45 children are on probation while 17 females are probationers as well."
Nadia Gul, Sparc's Provincial Manger Promotion said according to JJSO Section 9 probation officer had to submit a report to juvenile court that is called SIR (Social investigation report) consists on child's character, educational, social and moral background that would play a vital role for the juvenile trial and investigation.
She said it had been directed by the District and Session Judge, Lahore during the meeting of Criminal Justice Coordination Committee that a copy of FIRs registered against children under 18 years might be submitted in the office of District Probation Office, District Courts Lahore.
Fahmina Naz, Child Protection Officer of Probation department shared that according to the letter no Po/Lhr-2007/46 dated 17-3-07 from District Probation officer to Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operation) Lahore no copy of FIR registered against a child under 18 years of age has so far been received under the provision of Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, 2000.
Sparc further demanded to concerned authorities to look into the matter and play their role to implement section 10 of JJSO and for the activation of probation service. The law provided for protection measures throughout the arrest, trial and imprisonment of children conflict with the law, government should implement the JJSO 2000 at each stage of arrest, trial and imprisonment of boys and girls.