Lok Sabha Passes Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill: Here's Everything About The Bill

Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill: On March 24, 2021 the Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha. It had been introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 15.

The Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on March 24, moved the amendment bill in the Lok Sabha. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill aims to strengthen provisions regarding the protection of children. 

The Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill strengthens the provisions regarding the protection and adoption of children. It addresses the issues flagged by a panel that looked into the working of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The amendment bill proposes to increase the role of district magistrates and additional district magistrates with issues that regard child care and adoption.

Lok Sabha passes The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021

— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2021

According to Irani, the panel found shortcomings in the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act. The proposed changed in the law are to ensure that action is taken without waiting “for a child to become a victim.” Irani stated that several childcare institutions do not have basic facilities like beds, drinking water, toilets, etc. She also added that as many as 90 percent of the child care institutions in India are run by non-government organisations (NGOs).

The amendments in the bill aim to empower the district magistrates and additional district magistrates to authorise adoptions and propose appeals on the adoption orders. The bill states that by empowering the district magistrates in this manner, it aims to facilitate and coordinated and effective response of the administration to issues related to children.

The Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill also aims to incorporate provisions in child welfare committees related to the educational qualification of the members and eligibility conditions for the selection of the committee. The bill states that no person shall be appointed as a member of the child welfare committee unless they have been involved in health, education or welfare activities regarding children for at least seven years. Otherwise, the person needs to be a practising professional with a degree in either child psychology, or psychiatry, or law, or sociology, or human development, or social work.