News Type: Capacity Building

Training Programme on Juvenile Justice For DLSA Lawyers

The Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in collaboration with the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) organised a training programme for the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) lawyers from the northern districts of Karnataka on the 7th and 8th of October 2023.

This two-day programme aimed to train the lawyers on Juvenile Justice by giving them an overview of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Additionally the programme facilitated discussions on procedures of apprehension, custody, bail and preliminary assessment under the Act, and how the lawyers ought to adopt a child rights approach. This training programme focussed on equipping and informing the lawyers on the importance of adopting an approach different from what is practised under the adult criminal justice system. The importance of understanding the evolution of a child’s psychology from their childhood to their adolescence while approaching the Juvenile Justice system, was discussed through the training programme.

The resource persons for the training programme were Dr. Kalpana Purushothaman, Member, Juvenile Justice Board Bengaluru (Urban) and Ms. Geeta Sajjanshetty, Member, Juvenile Justice Board, Kalburgi. The programme was conducted in a participatory format with a combination of lectures, case-study based group discussions and activities.

Capacity Building Training for the newly appointed District Child Protection Officers (DCPOs)

Centre for Child & the Law (CCL), NLSIU, Bengaluru, in collaboration with Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), Karnataka organized a Capacity Building Training for the newly appointed District Child Protection Officers (DCPOs) across all 31 districts in Karnataka on 25th and 26th of July 2023.

Over the two days, several experts in the field of child rights facilitated the sessions such as Rights of children against violations by Mr. Vasudeva Sharma (Executive Director, Child Rights Trust); Overview of the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015 by Dr. Kalpana Purushothaman (Member, Juvenile Justice Board-Bengaluru, Urban); Overview of Mission Vatsalya by Mr. Raghavendra Bhat (Regional Coordinator, Government of Karnataka- UNICEF Child Protection Project) and a session on Adoption by Ms. Sindhu Naik (Member of Adoption Scrutiny, Karnataka State Council for Child Welfare).

The training was designed to equip the newly appointed DCPOs with a comprehensive understanding of child protection issues, relevant laws and effective strategies in safeguarding children’s rights. The collaboration between CCL and ICPS ensured a well-rounded and informative training program to strengthen child protection efforts in the state.

Capacity Building Session for Counsellors and POIC from 17 Observation Homes across the sate of Karnataka

The Centre for Child and the Law (CCL), National Law School of India University, in collaboration with Integrated Child Protection Scheme, Karnataka, organised a two-day training for Counsellors and District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) – Protection Officers in Charge (POIC) in the Juvenile Justice system. The training took place on June 22nd and 23rd 2023, at the Training Centre of National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. The resource persons for the training programme were Dr. Kalpana Purushothaman, Member of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Bengaluru (Urban) and Dr. Bindiya Shajith, School (Child and Adolescent Psychologist), Allinclusive Foundation. The training provided an overview of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, emphasising the need for a special law for children, recognizing their distinct cognitive capacities, addressing the overlap between children in conflict with the law and children in need of care and protection, adopting a child rights approach, and highlighting the obligations of counsellors in relation to child rights. Additionally, the training covered developmental and child psychology, including the physical, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and social development of adolescents, risk factors of children in conflict with the law, the importance of considering psychosocial factors, and understanding their vulnerabilities. The training was attended by 18 Counsellors and DCPU-POIC representatives from the 17 districts of Karnataka.

Role of Civil Society Organisations in Strengthening the Implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 in Kerala

“Kerala has made great progress in terms of development. Yet, child nutrition remains a concern. It is imperative for the State to go beyond food production and focus on nutritional aspects of food”-Shri S M Vijayanand, former Chief Secretary, Kerala.

Civil Society Organisations are often regarded as the third arm of the society and anchor crucial roles including advocacy, information dissemination, awareness generation and empowering rightholders. These organisations are vested with significant potential to transform the food and nutrition landscape in any state and have been at the forefront to demand for rights specific legislations including the National Food Security Act, 2013.  In order to promote the role of civil society organisations further, particularly in the rights based discourse on realising food and nutrition security, the Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School of India University has facilitated engagement with a wide spectrum of stakeholders and institutions, to strengthen the role of such actors in advancing the state of food and nutrition security in the country.

In pursuit of the same, the Centre for Child and the Law (CCL), National Law School of India University, Bangalore, in collaboration with the Kerala State Food Commission organised a one-day consultation on the “Role of Civil Society Organisations in Strengthening the implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 in Kerala” on 16th June 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The consultation, spanning over four sessions, was inaugurated by Shri S M Vijayanand, former Chief Secretary of Kerala. The discussion was steered towards a rights based approach, encompassing pillars/determinants of Right to Food and principles governing the same. It also provided an opportunity to delve into nutritional and health based indicators of Kerala, highlighting districts with high burden of undernutrition.

As per the State Nutrition Profile Data Note released by NITI AYOG in November 2021, all 14 districts in Kerala have been identified as districts with high burden of anaemia among pregnant women aged 15-49 years. This particular indicator has witnessed an increase of 8% since the 2015-16. That apart, atleast five out of fourteen districts have multiple demonstrated high burden of stunting, wasting, severe wasting and underweight among children aged below five years of age. The data presented as part of the consultation drew attention to Kerala being ranked 11th among 20 states in the general category and union territories, according to the State Ranking Index for NFSA, released by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.

The consultation highlighted several barriers associated with the implementation of NFSA, 2013 in Kerala. It also provided a crucial opportunity to establish a bridge of communication between the State Food Commission and Civil Society.

Capacity Building Workshops for Community Based Organizations and Panchayat Raj Institutions

CCL has conducted eight capacity building workshops for members of Vigilance Committees, Bala Vikasa Samitis, Panchayat Raj Institutions and School Development and Monitoring Committees on the National Food Security Act, 2013 and their roles and responsibilities for the implementation of the Act. These programmes have been conducted in Ramanagara and Vijayapura districts in Karnataka.

The actions taken by the Departments of Food and Civil Supplies; Women and Child Development; Rural Development and Panchayat Raj & School Education and Literacy for the implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 were discussed in detail. The various committees which have been established and which are functional were also looked into. The problems and issues faced while implementing the act were identified and possible solutions were discussed.

The schemes and programmes available through the service delivery systems of anganwadi centres, schools and fair price shops; the status of their implementation and actions taken by the members of these committees when a problem arises were deliberated upon. The methodology adopted in all these workshops was lectures, discussions and deliberations.

Capacity Building and Sensitization Training for Officers of the Special Juvenile Police Unit

Centre for Child and the Law organised a Capacity Building and Sensitivity Training for the Special Juvenile Police Unit officers of South-East Bengaluru. The event was organised in collaboration with the Association for the Promotion of Social Action (APSA) and the Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO). Around 39 officers from 13 police stations in Madiwala zone attended the training. 

The event opened with the watering of a plant and addresses by the Chief Guests Mr. K C Lakshminarayana, ACP, Madiwala; Mrs. Sheila Devaraj, Director, APSA; and Dr. Nigam Nuggehalli, Registrar, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. This was followed by the first session by Mr. Biju Thomas, Superintendent, ECHO Special Home on ‘Awareness on Principles of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children), Act 2015’. Mr. Thomas gave an excellent and detailed introduction to the basics of the law tailored to the specific needs of SJPU Officers. The second session was by Ms. Nagamani C N, Child Rights Trust on awareness on child rights. Ms. Nagamani focused her session on anti-child marriages and the role of the police in preventing child marriage. 

Post lunch, the penultimate session was conducted by Dr. Kalpana Purushottaman, child psychologist and Member, Principal Juvenile Justice Board, Bengaluru Urban. Dr. Purushottaman led an extremely engaging session on understanding the background and psychology of children in conflict with the law, in order to sensitize the officers on how to deal with them in a compassionate and child-friendly manner. The event ended with a closing session by Mr. Chetan of Sampradaya Trust, where every participant took a pledge about one action that they would personally take after undergoing the day’s training.