'Family dysfunctionality, eco factors leading to juvenile crimes'

NEW DELHI: The chairperson of national child rights body NCPCR today expressed concern over involvement of juveniles in heinous crimes and said that dysfunctional families and economic issues were mainly responsible for it.

"A lot of them are pushed towards crime because of economic factor, but family dysfunctionality plays a major role. They are the children who are sexually abused, that anger, helplessness creates a lot of these situation," said Stuti Kacker, chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Addressing a programme on rights of street children, she said that judiciary needs to proceed in a certain way while hearing crimes committed by juveniles.

"The Juvenile Justice Act is very clear on this. After the age of 16 years if the child has committed a heinous crime then there is a certain way of proceeding on this. It is a developing brain and at the age of 18, some children mature faster, some children mature slowly, and depending on the circumstances of the case, the judiciary must proceed in a certain way," she added.

The NCPCR in collaboration with Railway ministry has started a programme of training railway personnel as well as porters and coolies to help kids found on stations and platforms.

Kacker said that staff of 20 railway stations have been trained so far.

The Commission is also helping children who are yet to benefit from the Right To Education (RTE) Act, she added.