A generation in stress: LHC shifts visitation room back to city courts

Parents say visitation rooms should be made a peaceful venue

LAHORE: Children have been once again sent to the disturbing quarters for meeting their estranged parents in the tough environment of the court. It is exactly the place where they were driven away from in yesteryear due to associated psychological stress caused by the presence of accused, convicts, gun-wielding security personnel and other tensed individuals.

“Visitation rooms should be established at a peaceful venue where a good and healthy atmosphere could be provided to children to meet with their parents rather than the existing venue of civil courts that present a look of traditional courts,” an annoyed parent expressed concerns.

“This place lacks a peaceful atmosphere. There are no swings or slides where children could play along with their parents. Even children related items cannot be bought from around the area as there is no shop or kiosk,” complained Ashraf, a father who had arrived to meet his son at the visitation room in the civil court.

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Another parent, Haroon, who came to meet his daughter said, “The journey of good atmosphere had started in November 2018. We had bid goodbye to the traditional atmosphere of the courts but astonishingly enough we are back in the same place in 2020 rather than moving ahead or improving our system.”

Rukhsanda Bibi, mother of a boy named Haseeb said, “Neither the visitation room should be set up at the new judicial complex of sessions court nor at the civil court, instead it should be established far from the courts where police vans, law enforcement officers and lawyers are not seen.”

“Hundreds of meetings are held in the visitation room where sometimes parents shout at each other, poisoning their children who then go into panic mode, which is extremely regrettable,” a female, who chose to remain anonymous, said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“Proper mechanism has not been devised to control such a situation and no penalty is given to those families who destroy the peace of other children,” she asserted.

The lady said the number of visitation rooms should be increased and provided a good infrastructure where children could enjoy with their parents.

“A child takes at least 20 to 30 minutes to have fun on slides, while here, only a swing is placed in a narrow area where people cannot even stand easily.”

A reliable source said the evening court was shifted following the extra number of judges transferred by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to Lahore.

“To adjust the extra number of the transferred judges, the decision was taken to shift this court in a small room at the civil court. The earlier court and visitation room at the new judicial complex will be used for the newly transferred judges.”

The source claimed a protest was recorded with the District and Sessions Judge Qaiser Nazir Butt for shifting of the evening court that had been set up on the directions of the then LHC Chief Justice (CJ), however, a decision was made to shift the evening court to the civil courts.

An ‘evening court’ had been established to provide an opportunity to the minors for meeting with their parents who had either separated or sought custody of their beloved ones.

University of Lahore Professor of Psychology Dr Asir Ajmal said the children are already depressed owing to the separation of their parents and we multiply their grief through providing them a traditional atmosphere of the courts.

He said, “Courts which are dealing in children matters should be kept far from other routine courts to provide a good atmosphere to the children already facing difficulties.”

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The evening court was established as a pilot project at the new judicial complex of the district and sessions court to provide the best opportunity to the minors for meeting their parents in a good atmosphere and keeping them at bay from the traditional atmosphere of the courts.

Public Information Officer Syed Tajammul Hussain explained that the evening court was set up for school going children and working parents who could not manage their time in the morning. This way they could meet each other between 2pm to 7pm.

The pilot project of the evening court was established on the directions of the then LHC CJ Muhammad Anwaarul Haq with a notification issued on November 2, 2018.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2020.