Millennium conference to study justice system

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JUNE 9.

Police officials from seven countries and over 10 from within the country and representatives of 13 NGOs will interact here on Saturday and Sunday on `Protection of children at risk practices, emerging trends and challenges'.

The interactive session, billed as `millennium conference', is being jointly organised by Dr. Reddy's Foundation for Human and Social Development and Plan International, NGO operating in 42 countries. The city police are extending support.

Representatives of police organisations from Nepal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sri lanka, the UK, Thailand and Indonesia will attend along with Dr. Kiran Bedi, Joint Commissioner of Police, Training, Delhi, the Commissioners of Police of Calcutta and Chennai and Mr. D.R. Karthikeyan, Director-General, National Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Satish Reddy, Managing Director, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Mr. S.R. Sukumara, Police Commissioner, and Mr. Roger Braden, Country Programme Director, Plan International, told a press conference here on Friday that the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, would inaugurate the conference on Saturday. Mr. Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, would preside.

They said the conference would look into juvenile justice system, identifying effective techniques and interventions for reduction and control of juvenile crimes, building coalition and convergence of stakeholders in protection of children at work.

Mr. Sukumara said the objective of the conference was to tell others what "we are doing and get to know what is being done elsewhere". This exchange of experiences would emerge from the best practices on protection of children at risk from Sri Lanka, the UK, Nepal, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Thailand and Japan as also those from within the country. The country's practices would be put forth by the TTK Foundation, Chennai, Makkala Sahaya Vani, Bangalore, and Child and Police Project, Hyderabad.

Mrs. Nalini Gangadharan, Executive Director, Dr. Reddy's Foundation, said recommendations on juvenile justice and law enforcement would emerge from the proceedings. A consortium of practitioners, policy makers and social investors in the field of protection of children at risk would also be set up.

Meanwhile, the `Back Home Project', taken up jointly by Dr. Reddy's Foundation for Human Resource Development and the city police, to restore children running away from their homes, is being expanded.

Mr. Sukumara said the project would be converted into a permanent organisation. It would have a regular set-up with the help of NGOs like the Dr. Reddy Foundation and UNICEF, among others.

According to Mr. Sukumara, Mr. Justice M.N. Venkatachalayya, former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, had circulated the model of the project to other States for implementation. "This is encouraging for us", he added.

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