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VISIT TO JUVENILE OBSERVATION HOME, FATASIL AMBARI, GUWAHATI
Date : 20-12-2006
 
The Chief Judicial Magistrate visited the Observation Home on 21.11.2006 and found that the condition of the Home was not satisfactory. Accordingly the Learned Chief Judicial Magistrate wrote a letter dated 23.11.2006 to the Director, Social Welfare Department, Government of Assam making the following recommendation:
  1. Spacious accommodation to the inmates so that they can move and sleep freely inside the room.
  2. Proper food.
  3. Medically facility/ medicine etc. and sufficient light in the rooms as most of the bulbs and tube connection are out of order, as reported by the inmates, and alternative arrangement for lighting during load shedding within one week of receiving this letter
However, it appears that the State Government has not taken any action on the said report of the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate. 

Both print and electronic media was present in large numbers and the visit was widely published in the local newspapers and telecast in the local TV channels. ‘The Sentinel’, a widely circulated newspaper published from Guwahati carried the first news about the visit.

The Forum has made a detailed representation on 15.1.2007 to the Gauhati High Court, Government of Assam and other authorities requesting for the following steps being taken immediately:
  1. The measures suggested by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Guwahati in her letter dated 22.11.2006 be implemented immediately;

  2. The recommendations made by Dr. M.P.Bajaj in his report dated 23.12.2006 be implemented immediately;

  3. Legal aid may be provided to the Juveniles who are not represented by lawyers;

  4. Parents/guardians of the Juveniles lodged be informed immediately about such Juvenile being kept at Juvenile Observation Home, Guwahati under section 13 of the Act;

  5. The construction of Juvenile Observation Home at Boko be completed at the earliest which should have necessary services for rehabilitation and social reintegration of the Juveniles which include basic education and re-socialisation in the spirit of the provision of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2002;

  6. Till the Juveniles are shifted to the Juvenile Home being constructed at Boko, proper sanitation facilities may be immediately provided at Juvenile Observation Home, Guwahati.

  7. Juvenile Justice Boards in Assam may be directed to hold special proceedings within the campus of the Juvenile Observation Home to take up minor cases and dispose of the same expeditiously.

DR. M.P.BAJAJ, M.D. (PEDIATRICS)

NEAR RAM MANDIR,GUWAHATI-781001, ASSAM

                                                     Dated 23.12.2006

Subject: Visit to Juvenile Delinquent Home Juvenile Delinquents and Destitutes

Can’t our society afford toilets for our children locked in delinquent homes. Children whether normal, delinquent or destitute must be treated as children. If we can afford so much for our ruling elites why not for our children.

You have to have a visit to juvenile delinquent home located at Fatasil Ambari to feel the wretched living condition of the children, yet to be proved criminals and destitutes. Out of 90 children, 51 are delinquents and rest are destitutes. 51 so called delinquents are cramped in one single room without toilet facilities. At night they are locked in to sleep there and to pass urine etc. in the locked room itself.

Sexually active teenagers are allowed to sleep with non-adolescent children. It is known to breed homosexuality in this type of setting.

Many of the children are locked there for petty crimes like theft and traveling without tickets. They are lodged with hard core criminals like rapists, kidnappers and murders (under 18 years). This will turn petty criminals into more serious offenders

Most of the children are having contagious conditions like scabies, chicken pox and other viral and fungal skin diseases. Almost all are anemic and having vitamin A and other vitamin deficiencies.

There is lack of basic health services like vaccination, regular health check up, deworming, vitamin and iron supplementation. There is lack of basic hygiene. Children need good nutrition.

Due to presence of sexually active children they need regular screening for HIV and hepatitis B and C and also need the education to prevent AIDS.

Aim of keeping children in delinquent homes is to make them useful members of society. This can be done only with intense educational programmes and vocational training. Children need to play and have entertainment facilities like TV and dance and drama activities.
Recommendations:-
  1. omplete segregation of delinquent and destitutes.

  2. Maximum 6 inmates per room with attached toilets.
  3. Segregation of sexually mature and immature children.
  4. Proper healthy nutrition and safe drinking water.
  5. Vaccination.
  6. Regular health check up and vitamin and mineral supplementation.
  7. Periodic HIV screening.
  8. Basic education- Assamese, English and Hindi, basic mathematics (Guruji type school- one teacher teaching all the basic subjects)
  9. Vocational training (carpentry, lath machine, scooter and car repairing, electrician, electronics like mobile and TV repairing, plumbing, masonry and brick laying)
  10. Basic computer education.
  11. Recreation facilities like TV.
  12. Dance and drama
  13. Games and play
  14. Counseling by Psychologist and social worker.
  15. Interaction with normal school children.

Sd/-

(M.P.Bajaj)

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