India, Sept. 27 -- Last week, as I walked into a protection home to meet children in conflict with the law, I expected to speak to them about drugs, discipline and the choices that can shape their future. I carried with me the familiar concerns of a police officer: the dangers of substance abuse, peer pressure, crime and the challenges of returning to a normal life after coming into conflict with the law. But within minutes of meeting them, the conversation began to change the way I was looking at the issue. Some were quiet and hesitant; others looked at me with curiosity. Yet beneath those different expressions, I could see something common: they were children before they were anything else: children with fears, insecurities, aspirations...