NGOs should come forward for juvenile justice: Preneet Kaur

Union minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur has called upon NGOs to use the influence and resources at their command to implement reformatory measures for juvenile justice.

She said it was very unfortunate that a considerable number of children and the youngsters easily fall prey to certain crimes just like adults.

Kaur said children have been found participating in all types of criminal acts and the phenomenon was now not restricted to the lower socio-economic groups.

"The children hailing from upper strata of the society are now more into it. The history of drug abuse has presented us with a flow of changes through the years. But more recently, the flow has become a flood," she said while delivering an address during a seminar at the Thapar University here last evening.

Kaur, the Congress MP from here, called upon for the strengthening the existing juvenile justice system to bring within its ambit not only the children coming in conflict with law, but all those who are vulnerable to indulge in unlawful culture under pressure of many situational compulsions.

"A multidisciplinary approach needs to be adopted that treats children in a manner appropriate to their age and level of maturity and which develops institutions and systems designed to achieve that goal," she said.