Bhutan National Legal Institute in coordination with the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC) carried out dissemination on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) at Samdrup Jongkhar and Phuentsholing on 19th November 2022 and 21st November 2022 respectively. The program has been conducted with technical assistance from Gender and Child Focal Persons at the respective places.
Children are the future of any nation and they have the highest potential in contributing to the growth of the nation and the society. However, they are also exposed to circumstances that force them to be involved in criminal activities. The Child Care and Protection Act of Bhutan, 2011 has been enacted by Parliament as a means to strengthen the child justice system through child-friendly mechanisms, and to ensure care and protection in matters relating to a child in conflict with the law and child in difficult circumstances. The standard operating procedure for dealing with children in conflict with the law was developed in 2018. However, it did not contain provisions relating to children coming in contact with the law as witnesses and victims. Thus, the current SOP has been developed to cover the gaps. The SOP shall standardize the procedure to deal with both children coming in conflict with the law and those who come in contact with the law.