Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO)

Until recently, Pakistan authorities have realized the magnitude of Juvenile crime and evicted keen interest in scientific and empirical studies on juvenile crimes as well its prevention. Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) formed in 2000 has legally superseded the previous laws regarding Children, however, there implementation still seems to be inadequate. The ordinance directed the government to set up special juvenile courts for under-age offenders and establish independent trials for juvenile and adult offenders. However, the government has not only failed in setting up of the special juvenile courts but many districts have been found to be grossly violating the ordinance. Juvenile crime will be getting worse in the coming years as the youth population grows, unless we prevent it and effectively intervene when it occurs. More than one million young people appear in juvenile courts each year, and each case is different. Generally, the juvenile system emphasizes treatment and rehabilitation, while the adult system concentrates on punishment of offenders. The juvenile justice system also consists of a large number of no law enforcement agencies. Social services agencies, schools, and community-based organizations all provide services to both juveniles "at-risk" of committing crimes and to juveniles who have committed crimes.
By Muzeadhy Fatima