Child Protection in India

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Transcript Child Protection in India

Integrated Child
Protection Scheme
Mrs. Loveleen Kacker
Joint Secretary (CW)
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Government of India
Child Population in India
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India has the highest
children in the world.
number
More than one third of
population is below 18 years
of
country’s
Approximately 40% of the population
(around 440 million) is children
Status of Children in India
India has
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highest rate of neo-natal deaths (around 35%) in the world
40% of child malnutrition in developing world
50% of the child mortality
Reducing number of girls in 0-6 age group- for every 1000
boys 927 girls
46% children from ST and 38% SC out of school
High school dropout specially among girls
High rate of child marriage:
37% of literate & 51% of illiterate girls are married below 18
 10% of literate & 15% of illiterate boys are married below 18
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Large number of child labourers
Large number of sexually abused children
Protection Issues
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Protecting children in difficult
circumstances including natural disasters:
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Children in Need of Care and Protection
Child in Conflict with Law
Elimination of child labour
Protecting children from being trafficked
for commercial and sexual exploitation
Protecting children affected by HIV/AIDS
Children in Need of Care &
Protection…
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Orphans, abandoned & destitute children
Missing or run-away children
Street & working children
Children of sex workers
Abused, tortured and exploited children
Children indulging in substance abuse
Children affected by HIV/AIDS
Children affected by natural calamities, emergencies
and man made disasters
Children with disabilities
Child beggars
Children suffering from terminal/incurable disease
Existing Programmes
The existing schemes & programmes of GOI
includes:
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A Programme for Juvenile Justice
Scheme for Working Children in need of care and
protection
Integrated Programme for Street Children
Shishu Greha Scheme
General Grant-in-aid Scheme
CHILDLINE-24 hour help line for children in distress
Rajiv Gandhi national crèche scheme for the children of
working mothers
Pilot Project to Combat the Trafficking of Women and
Children for Commercial Sexual Exploitation in
Destination Areas
Scheme for assistance to institutions/VO’s for care and
support to children affected by HIV/AIDS
Gaps
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Lack of qualitative and quantitative data on:
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Standards of care not established and
implemented
Inadequate infrastructure under JJ system, like
constitution of:
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Children in need of care & protection
Children in conflict with law
Institutional Care system
Juvenile Justice Boards
Child Welfare Committees
Special Juvenile Police Units
Lack of non-institutional and family based care
system for children
Gaps
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Skewed utilization of resources in terms of
geographical spread;
Lack of coordination and convergence of
programmes/services;
Inadequate emphasis for reintegration and
restoration to families for rehabilitation;
Inadequate budgetary allocation for child
protection.
Inadequate training and capacity building of
functionaries under juvenile justice system
Current Initiatives
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Amendment of Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2000
Comprehensive Scheme “Integrated Child
Protection Programme”
Adoption Scheme
Proposed Integrated Child
Protection Scheme (ICPS)
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GOI has proposed to combine its existing different
child protection schemes under one integrated scheme
It aims to provide for care and protection of all the
children in conflict with law and children in need of care
and protection.
It proposes to involve steps to:
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Strengthen families and prevent them from breakup and
children becoming homeless and without care and protection.
Provide support to children already outside the mainstream,
beginning from emergency outreach services to final
rehabilitation with their families/ society.
Objectives
The Integrated Child Protection Scheme aims at:
Creating a safety net for children in need of care and
protection and children in conflict with law
 Promoting preventive measures to enable families to
stay together and prevent avoidable institutionalization
of children
 Providing services to the more vulnerable categories of
children through specialized programmes
 Establishing linkages for restoration of children to
their biological families/ placement with adoptive
families or foster families
 Ensuring effective implementation through the creation
of State level child protection units
 Supplementing and strengthening the infrastructure
established under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000
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Objectives
Creating emergency access through CHILDLINE and
followed by counseling, restoration and rehabilitative
services along with linkages to other available services
under various schemes of the Government of
India/State Governments/VO’s
 Building capacities of families, community, NGOs, local
bodies, police, judiciary and other concerned
departments of State Government
 Undertaking research, advocacy and spreading
awareness about child related issues.
 Networking amongst the Allied Systems to ensure
proper treatment of children, care and rehabilitation
 Initiating any other need based specialized innovative
services including child guidance and counselling
especially to combat drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and sexual
abuse.
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Integrated Child Protection Scheme
Secretary
Child Adoption Cell
State Child Protection Unit
Dist. CP Officer
Dist. CP Officer
Social Workers (2)
Scoial Workers (2)
Shishu Greha
Juvenile in Conflict
with Law
Non-Institutionalization
Scheme
Dist. Probation
Officer
Children in Need of
Care & Protection
JJB
CWC
Probation Officer
Homes
SPJU
Homes
Legal Officer
Components of the Scheme
The components of the scheme would be
broadly divided in two categories:
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Juvenile in conflict with law, and
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Children in need of care and protection
Components of the ICPS
Juvenile in conflict with law: Under this
component, the Scheme would support
setting up:
State Child Protection Unit
 Observation Homes
 Special Homes
 Aftercare Homes
 Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs)
 Special Juvenile Police Units (SPJU)
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Components of the ICPS
Children in Need of Care & Protection: Under this
component, the Scheme would support setting up:
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State Child Protection Unit
Children’s Homes
Shelter Homes
After-care Organisations
Child Welfare Committees (CWCs)
24-hour Drop-in Shelters for Street Children
CHILDLINE Service
Funding Pattern
ICPS to be a centrally sponsored scheme
and shall be implemented through the
State/UT
 Bulk funding from the Central Government.
 State/UT shall in turn provide grant-in-aid
to voluntary organizations under the
different components
 Eligibility criteria laid down for providing
grant-in-aid under the Scheme shall be
adhered
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Information sought from States
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What funding and administrative support is provided by the State
Governments to CWCs/ JJBs?
What is the expenditure required for the monthly maintenance of a child
in an Observation/ Children’s Home i.e. for his food, clothing and other
basic amenities?
What are the provisions made by the State Government for restoration
of a child to his/her family (a) within the State (b) outside the State?
Whether each case of restoration is provided with any funds and how
much?
What are the measures taken by the State Govt. to ensure that children
in Observation/Children’s Home are being given proper education? Are
they being sent to school outside the home or is the education being
imparted within the home?
What are the vocational training facilities available to the children
lodged in various homes?
What are the counseling and awareness facilities for children in homes
especially for drug abuse and HIV/AIDS?
What is the type of training being given to the staff of homes and its
frequency?
Whether Special Juvenile Police Units have been set up in the State?
Proposed Adoption Scheme
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Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA)
functions as the Central Authority for
promoting Adoptions in India
The Ministry recognizes that there are
gaps in the existing Adoption system
A draft Scheme has been prepared to
streamline the Adoption System in the
country
Proposed Adoption Scheme
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The major components of the draft scheme
include:
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Redefining the goals for Adoption
Reforming relevant laws
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Rescheduling the procedure of:
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Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act 2000
In-country Adoption
Inter-country Adoption
Restructuring the system
Introducing the scheme of assistance for:
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Regional Offices of CARA at Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai,
Bangalore, Delhi, Lucknow and Bhopal
State Adoption Cells in every State
State Adoption Cell
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The State Adoption Cell at other hand would be
setup to:
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License and monitor Child Care Institutions involved in
adoption;
Maintain a comprehensive List of Child Care
Institutions involved in adoption;
Collect and maintain centralised list of children
available for adoption;
Register and place adoptable children with prospective
adoptive parents (PAPs) and to handle matters
incidental thereto;
Act as the clearing house of adoption information at
the state level;
State Adoption Cell
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Furnish the list of adoptable children and prospective
adoptive parents to the concerned CARA Regional
Office in prescribed format on monthly basis if their
needs could not be addressed within the State;
Enhance capacity building of district level
functionaries involved in adoption including Child
Protection Officers;
Provide all kinds of adoption data to CARA Regional
Office in the prescribed format on monthly basis.
Information sought from States
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Whether State Adoption Cell has been set up in
the State and what are the basic activities?
What are the numbers of adoptions that have
taken place under (a) HAMA (b) JJ Act, 2000?
What are the problems coming in the way of
adoption under the JJ Act, 2000?
What are the numbers of adoptable children in
the (a) State run Children/other homes, (b)
other homes being run by voluntary agencies?
Whether any attempt has been made by the
State to bring them into adoption scope/net?
Whether VCA existing in the State and if not
whether any efforts being made to set it up?