Mumbai: Judges and NGOs join forces to tackle juvenile crime in city slums

The team of judges interacted with residents and children, explaining how crime can be prevented

The judges of the observation home, along with a non-government organisation, visited the Mankhurd and Trombay areas to find out why most juveniles get into conflicts with the law and crime. They found that lack of education and parenting, poverty, and drug addiction were some major reasons for children getting involved in conflicts.

After rounds of discussion with Abid Ahmed Kundalam, Founder & Managing Trustee of Global Care Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO working for legal aid and awareness, Abid Ahmed proposed having a first-hand experience of the slums to understand the problems on the ground. "The judges have been quite serious about the problems at ground zero. They only see the child and his parents but have no idea about the actual situation where the child belongs," said Abid Ahmed.

With incidences of juvenile crimes rising in the slums of Mumbai, magistrates at the Juvenile Justice Board from the Children Observation Home in Dongri became curious to find out the plausible causes and how they affect these children.

During the visit, the team of judges interacted with residents and children, explaining how crime can be prevented and discussing apt measures for upbringing children. They also visited Maa Sitabun Trust, a local NGO providing tuition to a large number of local children.

Under the initiative of Right to Education and Food, Yashshree Marulkar, Rupali Patil, magistrates of Juvenile Justice Board Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban respectively, along with Anant Deshmukh and Satish Hiwale, secretaries of District Legal Services Authority, Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban respectively, paid a visit to the slums at Mandala, Mankhurd, wherein Global Care Foundation took the lead to organise the visit.

The team first visited the slum across Mandala in Mankhurd and later had a session with schoolchildren in the Royal Hall in Trombay, attended by more than 300 students. The judges and legal experts educated the kids about the right to education and its importance.

Yashshree Marulkar, magistrate, Children Observation Home said, "We met a woman in the Mandala area. She started crying and claimed they were helpless. Due to poverty, both parents go for jobs, and hence the kids are not taken care of. Also, as they have four to five kids, how will they manage each of them? We met some kids of 5 to 6 years who were excellent and replied properly, which hardly any educated people can reply to. But what they need is proper parenting and education is more important now."

Rupali Patil, Magistrate, Children Observation Home, who explained to the kids about the misuse of social media, said they are too small to use the device. "The parents or kids are not even aware of their basic right to education. Awareness is the most important. The friends we are making are capable and good for us. But here the kids get attracted to the surroundings," she added.

Anand Deshmukh said, "The Child is a victim of circumstances. In Mandala, there is no government school in the 3.5 kilometres range. Kids are studying in three shifts. There are government schemes for the education of students and scholarships for students below the poverty line. But more and more awareness will lead to creating awareness among them."

Rupali Gothwal, public prosecutor of the Juvenile Justice Board said, "There are different cases like theft and assault where kids get involved over addiction. Many times, the parents support them. Proper guidance towards education can help these kids come out of bad habits."

The team of judges specifically noted the absence of government-run schools and hospitals/clinics within a 3km radius of Mandala and promised to escalate the concern so that children in the area can get respite and have access to education and healthcare.

The team of judges visited Trombay, another slum notorious for criminal incidents. Students, social workers, and parents gathered to meet the team of judges and police officers and celebrate the NALSA observance of the ‘Right to Food and Education'.

300
Approx. No. of students who attended the event