Disparities in the Treatment of Girl Child Offenders Under India's Juvenile Justice Framework
Abstract: This article examines the gendered disparities in the treatment of girl child offenders under India?s Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and argues that the system remains structurally male-centric despite its reformative intent. Drawing on NCRB data, legal provisions, and socio-legal analysis, it shows that girls in conflict with law often emerge from settings of abuse, trafficking, early marriage, poverty, and exploitation rather than from conventional patterns of delinquency. The study further highlights how institutional scarcity, social stigma, and weak gender-responsive rehabilitation mechanisms intensify their vulnerability within the justice process. It concludes that a trauma-informed, restorative, and community-based approach is necessary to ensure equitable application of the "best interest of the child" principle.
Keywords: Juvenile Justice, girl child offenders, gender-responsive reform, child right
How to Cite?: Salma Ara, Saheen Khan, "Disparities in the Treatment of Girl Child Offenders Under India's Juvenile Justice Framework", Volume 15 Issue 7, July 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 473-476, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26704115918, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26704115918