Judicial officers visit schools to ‘teach’ law to children
Legal literacy clubs launched in government schools, to expand to private schools too
In a first, serving and retired officers of the Delhi Judicial Services visited various city schools on Tuesday and interacted with children, explaining to them the importance of law in society.
The sessions were organised by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA), which has launched legal literacy clubs in schools to educate students on the legal aspects of various issues. Students from Class 9 to 12 will be made part of the clubs.
The judge who took the session at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School at Roopnagar focused on crimes against women.
Girls spoke about harassment and how laws can help.
“The children have to be made aware that certain kinds of behaviour are crimes, but there is no point in telling them about the IPC, so we have to figure out how to say the relevant things without complicating them,” the judge, who conducted the session at the girls school, said.
At a similar session at a boys school, students raised issues of “protection” against “false cases” and how it was the duty of all citizens to stop crimes against women.
“What you see as ‘fun’ is actually eve-teasing that can get you jailed. Mistakes like these affect your life and that of everyone around you,” the judge, who conducted the session at the boys school, said.
The judge and the principal asked the students to follow traffic rules, not ride motorcycles without licences and never overspeed.
The DSLSA, along with the Education department, launched the legal literacy campaign on Monday, which was attended by school principals, lawyers and judges from district courts, the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.
The legal literacy clubs have been launched in Delhi government schools for now. Similar sessions are planned at central government schools, private schools and schools run by the New Delhi Municipal Council from November. The students who are part of the clubs would then act as “peer counsellors”, spreading awareness about laws and civic duties among other students.
“The challenge before legal aid today is to convey to the children that they have a legitimate stake in local, national and international governance, that we are all equal citizens and we all have an equal say in how our lives and communities should be run,” Chief Justice of India HL Dattu said at the inaugural session on Monday.
Principals said for the initiative to succeed, constant monitoring and several sessions should be held. “Also, police have to enforce laws. Boys ride bikes on roads, but no action is taken against them,” one principal said.
Share
