An unexpected hiccup...
The last leg of my DukeEngage project consists of working in Prayas’ Observation Home for Boys (POHB). The observation home is used to keep juveniles (those less than 18 years of age) in conflict with the law. The observation home is comprised of two parts: the office section and the juvenile section. The juvenile section, not surprisingly, is the portion of the complex where delinquent juveniles are kept. This section is locked from the outside and a guard opens the door when a staff member needs to go through.
My individual project proposal consisted of a two week span at POHB, interacting with the juveniles and taking part in their vocational training classes, games and activities, counseling, and so on. However, I was not previously aware of the fact that any interaction with the juveniles of a non-POHB staff member required prior consent from the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). The JJB is legal board in India that decides cases for juveniles since cases regarding juveniles don’t go to the regular courts. Unfortunately the board was observing a ten day long summer vacation that coincided with my time at POHB. As a result, during my two weeks at the home, I did not get a chance to interact with the children for the entire first week and a little of the second.
During that period, Prayas put me to work on a research report about POHB and its evolution since its inception a decade ago. Initially, I was disappointed at having to do research instead of actually spending time with the children. I wished that I had been informed early on that I would need permission from the JJB to meet the juveniles and that the JJB would be on vacation, in which case I would have requested for permission before vacation started.
However, I later realized that the situation may actually have a silver lining. In its entire ten years of operation, POHB has never produced any publicly available written material on it except for a small one page brochure. This report was thus going to be a first for the home. Indeed, this was my chance to leave behind something tangible, something that will remain with Prayas, from my DukeEngage experience. At POHB, I met a law student, Sahiba, who was interning there, and we decided to tackle this report together. (To my surprise, it turned out that Sahiba and I had graduated from the same high school in the same year!). Together we laid out plans for a 20 page report, interviewed staff members, and went through tons of files, all covered with dust and cobwebs, regarding cases of juveniles who have stayed at the home over the last decade. Finally we put our findings on paper and turned in a draft to the observation home.
I did get to meet the children during my last few days at POHB. When the board returned from vacation I went to the board magistrate for permission to enter interact with the detainees. The magistrate turned out to be a rather strict lady who loved to yell at police officers and throw files in their faces when they showed ignorance regarding laws relating to juveniles. When my turn came to meet her, I felt as if I was standing in my high school principal’s office after having done something wrong. Fortunately, she approved my request after informing me that, as per the Juvenile Justice Act, I was not allowed to publish names of any of the children I talked to, and ten minutes later, I was in the juvenile section of the home.