The government has forwarded important bills regarding children’s rights to the Parliament on Sunday.

Forwarded were the bills to reconstitute the Child Rights Protection Act and the act on Juvenile Justice.

The bill to reconstitute Child Rights Protection was submitted due to perceivable differences between the current act and international child protection laws and standards, revealed the President's Office.

It cites that under the existing law, rights and security of children cannot be provided beneficially for all children in the country and also includes several rights and services that should be provided to every child under international child protection laws.

Further, it includes amendments regarding child protection from discrimination, harm, bias, neglect, cruelty as well as abuse, both physical and mental.

Children are also to be granted their educational rights, safety, security under the bill. It also proposed to grant appropriate rights to better preserve the wellness of children with special needs.

In addition, the legal age of consent for marriage is to be raised to 18 years upon parliament approval and ratification of the bill and children under 15 are to be protected against judicial punishments including death penalty. It further prescribed a speedy solution to rehabilitate minors who have committed a crime back into the society through rehabilitative facilities.

Additionally, a council for the protection of children’s rights will also be formed under the bills, to protect their rights and provide aid for children in need of protection.

The ‘Child and Family Protection Services' council will serve as a consultant to pertinent ministers and will be providing help to create laws and policies related to the rights of children. Further, residential facilities are also to be established in different regions of the country to provide care for children in need, under the bill.

Further, the government is also to elect a supervisory body to the Human Rights Commission for children. They will be tasked with impartially protecting children’s rights and freedom and to continuously monitor the application of all components of the law for them.

The second bill, the Juvenile Justice Act was submitted in order to combat the urgent need for a judiciary system for the overall protection of social and constitutional rights of children.

It will also focus on setting standards that must be met for minors.

Under the bill, a Department of Juvenile Justice will also be formed as a government entity, and it will be under the control of the pertinent Ministry. Further, the bill seeks the establishment of juvenile detention centers, 18 months into the ratification of the bill.

While children under 15 are protected from being penalized under criminal law under the new rights being granted, once the bill is ratified, a juvenile justice system will be established separate from the criminal justice system.