Kathmandu, November 20

Cases of juvenile delinquency are on the rise in the country, according to a study.

An annual report released by Central Child Welfare Board, Lalitpur, on the occasion of World Children’s Day 2017 today shows that of a total of 295 delinquency cases filed at the apex court this fiscal, 347 defendants were minors while in the last fiscal, there were 156 juvenile defendants in as many as 138 delinquency cases.

Of a total of such cases filed at the court this fiscal, verdicts have been issued on 71.4 per cent cases, while 28.6 per cent other cases are in the process of settlement at the court.

Likewise, among the total cases, 127 cases are related to rape, 25 to robbery, 14 to drug addiction, 10 to murder and 21 to other crimes. Of all the defendants in those cases, 344 are underage boys while three are minor girls.

Tarak Dhital, executive director of Central Child Welfare Board, Lalitpur, said as per the law, underage perpetrators below 10 years of age could not be sent to jail. Likewise, the law has a provision that any offender below the age of 12 should be provided counseling and  those above the age of 12 should be sent to correction homes as a penal measure.

“Cases of juvenile crimes have been increasing in the country due to bad parenting and lack of family support,” he said. The increasing cases of violence in the country has also contributed to the rise of such offences as children tend to emulate such activities, according to him.

He suggested that every child should be treated as equal and should be provided care and support at home and in the society to control juvenile crimes in the country.