Kaval project gets a revamp as Kerala addresses rise in juvenile cases

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is revising its ‘Kaval’ project, which offers psychosocial support to children appearing before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Each year, around 3,500 to 4,000 minors face legal action in various cases across the state, with nearly 2,600 requiring assistance through Kaval.

The Women and Child Development Department has announced that changes will be made to the intervention model following expert consultations in child safety, mental health, and social services. The aim is to better respond to the shifting challenges children face.

Kaval provides counselling, life skills training, de-addiction support, and continued education to young people involved in criminal activities. Children are monitored until the age of 21 and are trained for reintegration into society by a team including social workers, probation officers, mental health professionals, and child protection police officers. The Kaval project, run by the Women and Child Development Department, will receive support from UNICEF in developing the updated training module.

The project currently functions with 59 staff members and 28 voluntary organisations across Kerala’s 14 districts. The last training module was developed in 2018 in collaboration with NIMHANS, Bengaluru. This agreement ended in 2020, and since then, no new module had been created.

The Kaval project, under the Women and Child Development Department, remains a key component of Kerala’s juvenile justice approach, aiming to rehabilitate children and steer them away from future offences.