| |
<%-- Page Title--%>
<%-- Navigation Bar--%>
<%-- Navigation Bar--%>
|
|
Juvenile
prisoners' plight
On
September 16, 2003 eight inmates were reportedly attempted to commit suicide
by way of causing dent and mutilating their own body using sharp blades
and broken bottle at National Juvenile Correction Centre in Tongi, Dhaka.
Juvenile delinquents have alleged that the centre authorities do not provide
enough food. They hardly get opportunity to play as well as watch TV.
Furthermore, in most time their hands are fastened by handcuffs. When
they raise their voice against irregularities of the authority, they have
to sustain severe physical torture. Finally, the torture and denial of
total recreation persuaded them to attempt to commit suicide. On the same
day, we learnt from a press release of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services
Trust (BLAST) published in The Daily Star that a boy named Jamal(14) continues
to languish in the Juvenile Correction Centre at Tongi even though the
court acquitted him of charge about 10 months ago. These two incidents
are clear evidences of how much the authorities are negligent about child
rights.
In fact, juveniles have been treated so badly that they aren't reformed
or corrected rather they transform into recidivist. It should be mentioned
that the prime objective of juvenile justice system is to protect the
children from recidivism and to ensure their rehabilitation as well as
to smooth reintegration with society. When a juvenile opt to commit suicide
in sheer depression, we can easily say that the end of juvenile justice
system is totally frustrated from all respects.
In this context, we can reiterate that we have huge good laws such as
the Probation of Offenders Ordinance'1960 and The Children Act, 1974,
but we have seen hardly implementation of those laws. In lieu of sending
into correction centre, we can set free juvenile in the society on condition
of good behaviour under the Probation Order. Of course, we may get some
results from it as it is proved by statistics.
Bivuti Tarafder,
LL.B (3rd year), Department of Law, DU.
Forgive
the child
Being born within the four walls of jail Nasrin, a five year
child of Parvin, an accused of Shajnin murder case, does not have any
idea of living in an open and a free environment. That is why the little
innocent girl asked its mother to go back in the jail while its mother
standing before the Judge in the court. The most unfortunate news for
that unlucky child is that its mother was rewarded the death sentence.
Needless to say no one should raise question regarding the judgement.
But the conscious citizens definitely can raise question of the life of
a five year child whose mother is to die within very short time or as
soon as all proceedings of judgement is completed. It is not known whether
the judge considered the maternity of said Parvin who gave birth a female
child after being imprisonment. In the history of near past of the judiciary
this case is a unique where a mother with having a minor child given death
penalty.
Here the judgement of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandi murder case can
be mentioned where a woman accused having a minor child was sentenced
to death. Sinia Gandi, wife of Rajiv Gandi, forgave the accused woman
who was unfortunately a mother of a child, in thinking the future life
of that child. And it's definitely a good instance. With this I am not
appealing to Mr & Mrs Latifur Rahman who lost their beloved daughter
to forgive the said woman. I am just requesting them to think for a while
about the instance made by Sonia Gandi and side by side that innocent
girl to whom her mother is also beloved one.
It is needed to say that before final judgement the question of the life
of said minor girl (whose father left her mother) must be settled.
Kalyankar,
Dhaka.
|
