Prison Bound

Though nine years have passed since Pakistan ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Pakistani children in conflict with the law continue to be denied the juvenile justice protections of the convention. Juvenile justice, as conceptualized in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international instruments, is predicated on the adjudication of children's cases with a view to their rehabilitation and early reintegration into their communities. It entails separate custodial arrangements for children, a right to counsel, the timely processing of their cases, and the liberal use of alternative sentencing measures, such as release on probation or education and vocational training. The convention prohibits the imposition of capital punishment as well as torture and any other form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Of the 2,700 juvenile prisoners in Punjab province during February 1998, 91 percent were awaiting the conclusion of their trials, a process that can take months or even years. While their trials are pending, children languish in overcrowded, often harsh detention facilities that offer few educational or recreational opportunities.