Amend Juvenile Justice Act: NCW chairperson

Pressing for a debate on the issue of juveniles who commit rape, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Mamta Sharma Wednesday called for amending the Juvenile Justice Act.

"Forty-five percent of rapes are committed by juveniles, and by sending them to correctional homes, we are just encouraging them... Until juveniles are brought under the purview of law, I do not think there will be a change in the situation," Sharma said during an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) here.

"There is a need for an amendment in the Juvenile Justice Act now... This is because times have changed over the past 20 years," she added.

Sharma, however, added that the issue is "debatable" and said there be proper consultation.

"To think that four people sit together and talk about amendment is not correct. It is a technical issue and needs to be looked at in a social context," she added.

Quoting the Dec 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape case, Sharma said despite the victim herself stating that the juvenile was the most "brutal", he was spared based on a mere school certificate.

"I believe that if there were proper investigation and tests, it may have been proved that the boy is not a juvenile. And even if he was, I believe that in such cases there should be an amendment in the act and the accused should be punished," she said.

Sharma added that the minors who commit such crimes should be sent to reform houses and schools where they live a "hardened" life and are given "proper counselling".

Stating the importance of sex education, she said children aged 16 these days are "fully grown up" and need to be made aware.

"... Initially when families used to live in a joint set-up, children were made aware by grandparents. But now, in a nuclear set-up, parents don't have time... so in such a scenario, I feel that sex education is a must and will only prove to be helpful," she said.