By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 5: Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, Bhagwati Chaudhary, emphasised the need for a dedicated children’s court in the country.
Speaking at the National Conference on Juvenile Justice organised by the Central Juvenile Justice Committee in collaboration with UNICEF Nepal, Minister Chaudhary underscored the importance of a separate court system to ensure justice for children.
Minister Chaudhary highlighted that while the criminal law code is essential, it alone is insufficient. She said that there are numerous laws and regulations about children, but their implementation is often lacking.
Minister Chaudhary said that despite the enactment of at least 13 laws related to children, their implementation has yet to materialised, particularly at the local level. Stressing the importance of bringing these laws to the grassroots level. She said that adherence to international treaties and agreements is imperative. The government is fully committed to ensuring compliance with these agreements.
Minister Chaudhary said that when assessing the state of any country, the condition of its children and women is often the foremost consideration. While acknowledging improvements over time, she urged for reflection on the effectiveness of child judicial committees at the district level in ensuring justice for children.
Minister Chaudhary said that although every district has a Juvenile Judicial Committee, it is essential to assess whether they have effectively delivered justice to children. She raised concerns about the state of child correctional homes, noting that there are currently nine such facilities across the country, but they lack adequate resources and facilities. She called for collective efforts to improve the management and conditions of these correctional homes.
Minister Chaudhary said that there are more children than capacity in orphanages across the country and it is necessary to manage it. She said that 1202 children are living in the Children’s Correctional Home with a capacity of 835 people. Among them, there are 531 people above the age of 18. She also said that the first challenge lies in managing Children’s Correctional Home.
She also emphasised the importance of developing the skills of children in correctional homes and involving them in business-oriented activities. Minister Chaudhary highlighted the necessity of prioritising health check-ups and providing psychological counseling for children in these facilities.
She also said that over the past five years, the child mortality rate has decreased by six per cent and the rate of malnutrition among children under five years old has also decreased to 25 per cent.
She expressed her belief that the seminar organised by the Central Juvenile Justice Committee will help identify the work related to juvenile justice and identify concrete measures for the welfare of the children.The Rising Nepal
