Be sensible while dealing with juvenile offenders

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed the authorities concerned to be careful while dealing with juvenile offenders so that they do not become criminals.

During a cabinet meeting yesterday, she also directed the home and social welfare ministries to take more effective measures to correct the offenders.

The PM said it must be ensured that juvenile offenders do not come close to criminals, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain told a press briefing after the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office.

“They [juvenile offenders] should be given various scopes so that they can return to their normal lives,” he quoted the premier as saying.

The PM asked the social welfare ministry to undertake more projects to make sure that the juvenile offenders get adequate services.

The cabinet secretary said three correction centres are now in the country, which are overcrowded. In this regard, the PM has instructed the authorities concerned to increase the number of such centres.

Counselling services must be there in correction centres because psychiatrists play a vital role in correcting the juvenile offenders, the PM said.

She also directed the authorities to include parents, teachers, and local representatives in their rehabilitation process.

The cabinet meeting also approved the draft of the National Logistics Policy-2024.

The policy’s objective is that all the relevant ministries will take steps to ensure quick delivery of goods at low cost, the cabinet secretary added.

There will be a council led by the premier to oversee the implementation of the policy, he said.

He said the policy is part of initiatives for the graduation to a developing nation status in 2026.