New Delhi: Welcoming the Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Nobel Peace Laureate and child rights' champion Kailash Satyarthi on Tuesday hailed it as 'a major legislative reform measure towards holistic child protection and development'.

'Whether it's a crime by a child or on a child, the focus has to be on reform and restitution and not just deterrence. Care and protection must be provided to all children up to the age of 18. We welcome that no child below the age of 18 will go to jail and instead be sent to a special place of safety till the age of 21,' he said in a statement issued here.

Stating that the protection framework provided under this law is extremely robust, Satyarthi said 'It is very heartening that the Act recognises new crimes against children like vulnerability to child marriage, involvement in armed conflict, organised crime and employment in bonded labour.'

The bill also specifies double fine and punishment for crimes against disabled children. It additionally defines and lays out stringent punishment for induction and abetment of begging, where children are involved and also use of children in drug trafficking.

'Compulsory registration of childcare institutions will go a long way in curbing trafficking and abuse of children. This, when combined with the clause pertaining to illegal adoption being treated as a punishable offense, will lend a lot of legal ammunition to our rescue efforts,' said Satyarthi.