‘Girls in jails not being treated according to the law’

Staff Report

LAHORE: Hina Jillani, secretary general of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Thursday said despite the promulgation of Juvenile Justice System (JJS), 2000, the female juvenile prisoners were still treated as women prisoners in Pakistan.

Speaking at a seminar “Juvenile Justice System in Pakistan”, she said the female prisoners under 18 years of age were still deprived of facilities and concessions given to the male prisoners. Ms Jillani said under the JJS, the female juvenile prisoners should be granted the status of girl prisoners but our system had been treating them as adults and keeping with the women prisoners, she added.

She said there was no Bostal system and Certified Schools for girl prisoners, adding they were kept in illegal detention. She suggested changing attitude of the police, courts, probation officers and prison staff towards the juvenile prisoners. She said expert advice should be provided to them with along with psychologists and psychiatrists. Pervez Raheem Rajput, Punjab Prison’s inspector general said poverty was the major cause of crimes among juveniles. He said there were 1,052 juvenile prisoners in 30 jails of Punjab. Out of these, 222 have been convicted, he added.

He said most of the juvenile prisoners were involved in murder cases. He said 641 prisoners were convicted of murder, 279 of robbery, 254 of keeping harmful weapons and 240 of carrying drugs.

He said at Eid, 46 boys were freed in Faisalabad when the president announced amnesty to prisoners. He said a majority of these beneficiaries were drug carriers and they did not want to go out.

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