Chief Justice, Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice Gita Mittal today said that the children need to be given a special treatment with regard to the delivery of justice. “Children become what we make them. We need to understand that children are children and they need to be given a special system of understanding and treatment. There is a need to understand the psychology of children to deliver justice,” she said.She was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a four-days training programme for Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) and Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) on Juvenile Justice with special focus on working with children in contact with Juvenile Justice System in J&K.The training which is being conducted here at J&K State Judicial Academy, Mominabad Tengpora, is being organized by High Court of J&K with the support of Government of J&K and in collaboration with UNICEF, India. The programme will conclude on February 15.Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey (Chairman, JJC of J&K High Court), Justice Rashid Ali Dar (Member JJC, J&K High Court), Mr Abdul Rashid Malik (Member Secretary, JJC of J&K High Court), Hilal Bhat (Chief Protection Specialist, UNICEF India), Principal sessions Judges, members of JJBs and CWCs participated in the conference.Renowned resource persons in the field of Child Jurisprudence from South Africa including Dr Karan Muller (Chief Executive Officer, Child Witness Institute) and Karen Holley (Chief Operating Officer) also participated in the training programme. In his special address, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey said that in last five to seven months, the implementation of Juvenile Justice System has reached a new level, under the guidance of Chief Justice, Justice Gita Mittal. He also praised UNICEF for its support for conduct of workshops and training programs to sensitize stakeholders about the Juvenile Justice.
While calling children as the future of the nation, Justice Magrey said that there is a need to give special care and proper treatment to the them.He also commended the role of JJBs and CWCs in identifying the culprits connected to the child abuse cases.Calling the women and children as the most vulnerable section of the society, Justice Rashid Ali Dar said that the problems of these sections of society can never be ignored in a democratic system.He said, “it is our fundamental duty to take care of these sections, particularly children.”On the occasion, Justice Dar and others praised the commendable work done by Justice Hasnain Masoodi (Chairman Selection cum Oversight Committee under the Juvenile Justice Act) for the protection of Juvenile rights.While delivering the welcome address, Mr Abdul Rashid Malik gave an overview of the four-day training programme. He said that these training sessions aim at to give the participants international level of exposure.On the first day of training, two sessions were conducted. In the first session, titled ‘Importance of Child Development’, Chief Operating Officer conducted the working sessions which dealt with the topic and also highlighted the different methods of dealing with children.It was followed by second session titled ‘Cognitive Development in the Court Room’. Both the sessions were moderated by Justice Malik. On the occasion, Hilal Bhat (Chief Protection Specialist, UNICEF India) also shared his experiences with the participants.