Agenda Item Four
Dr. Hira Singh
International Director, India
Asia Crime Prevention Foundation
Survival being the most basic instinct of the animal world, every
man strives to meet his physiological needs before he is able
to recognise the values of mutuality, cooperation and interdependence
with his fellows. Despite diverging opinions on the extent to
which man is a rational economic or emotional social being, the
importance of the 'economic' factor in crime cannot be undermined.
Apart from the fact that poverty is the worst negation of human
rights, it generates conditions responsible for social deviance,
delinquency and crime.
In India, poverty alleviation is being pursued as the major objective
of development plans. A three-pronged strategy has been adopted
to reduce poverty, including: (i) accelerated economic growth
with a focus on sectors which are employment intensive; (ii)
human and social development through basic minimum services;
and, (iii) targeted anti-poverty programmes. It is being increasingly
realised that the programmes for poverty alleviation have to
be reinforced in the light of various civil, political, economic,
social and cultural rights that people are equally entitled to
under the Constitution of India.
There is a national consensus that the pattern of economic growth
has to keep the welfare of the poor, the weaker and the disadvantaged
in the centre-stage. Obviously, battle against poverty has to
be waged within the framework of social justice for which the
rule of law is a pre-condition. Whereas no formal system on its
own can undo the aberrations of the wider socio-economic system,
it can surly serve as an enabling total in achieving this goal.
In this perspectives, the criminal justice system can make a
substantial contribution to the national efforts to alleviate
poverty by concentrating broadly on three areas: (i) combating
such crimes as are directly responsible for the disruption of
economy, social cohesiveness and well-being and welfare of people
at the grass-roots level; (ii) curbing conditions responsible
for the abuse and exploitation of the vulnerable sections of
society such as women, children, minorities, ethnic groups and
the economically backward; and, (iii) protecting human rights
and development interests of the poor in the administration of
justice.
In making a dent on poverty, economic offences pose the biggest
challenge to the criminal justice system. There is, however,
a strong view that the criminal justice system must sharpen its
teeth and plug loopholes to cope more effectively with the onslaught
of economic offences. In liquidating criminal syndicates operating
across national borders, the need for a coordinated action on
the part of law enforcement agencies of the countries concerned
is also being articulated in various quarters.
Poverty is a complex problem, both cause and effect of disorganisation
at the individual, familial and societal level, and, as such,
has to be tackled through mutually reinforcing coordinated efforts
on the part of various law enforcement and development agencies.
Doubtlessly, the criminal justice system which proclaims to be
based on the principles of fairness and equity needs to establish
its credentials for being equally fair and equitable to the poor
as to the rich, in actual operation.
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