PESHAWAR, May 16: Juvenile Justice Network (JJN)  NWFP organized a consultation entitled “Enforcement and Implementation of Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 in Frontier Province” in collaboration with the District  Bar Association Nowshera here on Friday.

A press release issued here said that about 80 lawyers participated in  the consultation including three female  lawyers.  The JJN Coordinator, Arshad Mahmood said that on July 1, 2000 the federal government promulgated the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, 2000 (JJSO) that is the first ever federal legislation on the subject after Reformatory Schools Act 1897, but unfortunately no visible improvement is seen so far because of its poor implementation.

He said even today above 80 per cent of the juvenile inmates are under trial in the province. There are only 13 probation officers for 24 districts in NWFP and 63 juveniles are on probation owing to weak probation system and lack of coordination among the judicial professionals.

He said the Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court should take notice of the delay in the establishment of four exclusive juvenile courts in Kohat, Peshawar, Mardan and Swat.

Rehan Saeed advocate said that the JJSO had not  been implemented in its true sense in Nowshera district and a number of children were still under trial, but courts were unable to decide their cases in the stipulated period of time.

He said under the government access to Justice programme funded by Asian Development Bank, the number of additional district and session judges has been raised to four in Nowshera and in almost all other districts, he suggested that one of these courts should be declared exclusive juvenile court in each district that could help in having speedy trials and releasing maximum number of children.

Fayaz Ali advocate said that exclusive juvenile courts should be established for the speedy trails.

He said though the court of district and sessions judges had been extended the powers of juvenile courts but due to extreme overburdened situation of these courts nothing exceptional could be expected from  them.

He said exclusive juvenile courts  should  be established to decrease the prison population of children and have speedy trials.