Juvenile delinquency: Legal and practical gaps

Some children are held for crimes they did not even commit, and they do not know how to get out.

In Nepal, juveniles were previously prosecuted in ordinary courts under the criminal law. Only after the country issued its first juvenile law—the Children’s Act 1992—did the procedure for handling juvenile justice come into effect. After nearly three decades, the Act Relating to Children 2018 replaced the 1992 law, and promised to revise and consolidate laws and ensure children’s best interests while also promoting, safeguarding and upholding juvenile rights. The law, raising the minimum age for children from 16 to 18, not only adopted the standard set in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child but also made a groundbreaking arrangement for children under 18, stating that they shall not be held criminally liable for any act performed against the law.