3RD INTERNATIONAL MEET ON
ADOPTION
19TH – 20TH FEBRUARY
CHILD PROTECTION MECHANISMS IN INDIA
MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Towards a new dawn
STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION
1. CONTEXT
•
INDIA’S CHILDREN
•
CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS & INTERNATIONAL
COMMITMENTS
•
INITIATIVES FOR PROTECTION OF CHILDREN – FOCUS JUVENILE
JUSTICE (CARE & PROTECTION OF CHILDREN) ACT, 2000
2. INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME
•
CREATING A SAFETY NET FOR PROTECTION OF CHILDREN
 OBJECTIVES & PRINCIPLES
 COMPONENTS & STRUCTURES
 FOCUS AREAS
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Towards a new dawn
CONTEXT: INDIA’S CHILDREN
Child Population
• Largest child population in the world
• More than 1/3 of country’s population (around 440
million) < 18 yrs
• Set to be the youngest population in the world by
2020
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Towards a new dawn
CONTEXT: INDIA’S CHILDREN
Governance Structure
• Federal
• Included in the Concurrent list
NATIONAL
STATES/UTs – 35
DISTRICTS - 657
VILLAGES – OVER 6,00,000
 Policies, legislation & programmes
for children framed by National & States/ Union Territories (UTs)
level governments
 Implementation by States/UTs & Civil Society
• Independent Ministry of Women & Child Development created
in 2006
 mandate - focus exclusively on addressing exclusive issues &
needs of nearly 70% of the population
Towards a new dawn
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CONTEXT : CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS
Constitution of India guarantees
• Right to Equality
• Right to life
• Free and compulsory education between the age of six to
fourteen years
• Protection from:
Trafficking & forced labour
Employment in factory or mine or any other hazardous
employment
 Abuse, exploitation & moral and material abandonment
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Towards a new dawn
CONTEXT : INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS TO
CHILDREN
International Commitments
• Ratification of United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC, 1989) – 1992
2000- Optional Protocols on Sale of Children, Child Prostitution &
Child Pornography & the Involvement of Children in Armed
Conflict
• Ratification of Hague Convention on Protection of Children &
Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption in 2003
• Other International Covenants & Regional agreements (SAARC)
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Towards a new dawn
CONTEXT: POLICY INITIATIVES FOR
CHILD PROTECTION
• 1974: National Policy for Children
 ‘ efforts would be directed to strengthen family ties so that full
potentialities of growth of children are realised within the normal family ‘
 Being reviewed to better address emerging needs & issues
• 2004: National Charter for Children, 2004
 Reiterates India’s commitment ‘to strengthen families & undertake
measures to ensure that children without families are either placed for
adoption, preferably intra-country adoption, or foster care or any other
family substitute services’
• 2005: National Plan of Action for Children
 ‘To give priority for non-institutional services for the rehabilitation of
children by restoring them to their families and ensuring their
reintegration into the home and community, or through foster care
sponsorship, adoption, giving primary consideration to the best interest of
the child’
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• 2011: Guidelines Governing the Adoption of Children
Towards a new
dawn
CONTEXT: LEGISLATIONS FOR PROTECTION
OF CHILDREN
• Several issue specific legislations introduced –
Trafficking
for commercial sexual exploitation
Child Labour
 Gender biased sex selection
 Child marriage
•
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000
To provide justice, & rehabilitation services for children in difficult
circumstances
 Focus on non-institutional care for orphan, abandoned & surrendered
children

•
Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005

Towards
a new
dawn
Establishes Commissions for Protection of Child Rights at National & State
level
RECENT MILESTONES
• Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education Act, 2009
• Protection of children from Sexual Offences, Act 2012
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CONTEXT: PROGRAMMES INITIATED
Issue specific programmes –
Institutional care for children in need of care & protection & children
in conflict with law
 Homes for facilitating adoption of orphan, abandoned surrendered
children - age 0-6 years
NON- INSTITUTIONAL
 Drop in centres for street children
CARE
 Prevention of trafficking
 Mainstreaming of working children
 Programmes for the girl child
 day care services for children of working mothers in the
unorganised sector

Towards
a new
dawn
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FEBRUARY 2009
NEED TO ESTABLISH AN INTEGRATED &
DEDICATED SYSTEM FOR PROTECTION OF
CHILDREN
INTRODUCTION OF THE INTEGRATED
CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME (ICPS)
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Towards a new dawn
ICPS: OBJECTIVES & PRINCIPLES
• Enhance financial & technical support for effective implementation of
Child Protection policies & legislation
• Prevent situations that lead to abuse & exploitation of children
• Provide safe and secure environment for children in conflict /contact
with law & children in need of care & protection
• Create a safety net of Service Delivery Structures at National, State &
District level with a cadre of trained personnel working exclusively on
Child Protection
• Provide a range of need based services for each child
• Shift focus from Institutional to Family based care
• Develop partnership between Government & Civil Society
• Convergence of services
BASED ON BEST
INTEREST OF
 Health, Education, Sanitation etc.
THE CHILD
Towards a new dawn
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ICPS: SALIENT FEATURES
• DEDICATED Structures for Protection of Children
 National: Central Project Support Unit, headed by Joint
Secretary of GOI
Over 10,000 Child
 State
Protection
 State Child Protection Societies - 32
Personnel in
 State Adoption Resource Agencies - 25 place
 District: District Child Protection Societies - 568
• Statutory Bodies in each district
 Children in need of care & protection - 617 (240)
 Children in conflict with law - 607 (211)
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Towards a new dawn
ICPS: SALIENT FEATURES
CARE, SUPPORT & REHABILITATION SERVICES
• Emergency outreach service through a 24 hour dedicated phone
helpline 1098 - Childline services in 267 locations
• Open Shelters - community based safe spaces for children in need in
urban and semi-urban areas – 163
• Family based Non - Institutional care:
Aim - to strengthen
family and community
based care &
protection
 Adoption
– Strengthening of Central Adoption Resource Agency
– 223 specialised adoption agencies supported
– CARINGS in place
 Sponsorship – Guidelines piloted & finalised
 Foster Care
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Towards a new dawn
ICPS: SALIENT FEATURES
CARE, SUPPORT & REHABILITATION SERVICES
Aim - to ensure a
continuum of care based on
minimum standards
• Institutional Services:
Various types of Homes for children – more than a 1000
homes supported
Specialized services for children with special needs
• After Care Program
 Guidelines finalised for handholding children transiting from
institutions to mainstream society
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Towards a new dawn
ICPS: FOCUS AREAS
• Mapping vulnerabilities of children & available initiatives/resources
 District wise Need Assessments & Protection Plans
• Upgrading existing Protection infrastructure
Ensure minimum standards of care
• Creating facilities for rehabilitation
 In hard to reach areas
Protection &
Rehabilitation based on
individual care plans for
every child accessing
services
To prevent & address issues such as unsafe migration & trafficking
• Strengthening community & family based care
• Sensitisation & Capacity Building
• Awareness Generation & Advocacy
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Towards a new dawn
ICPS: FOCUS AREAS
• Systematization of monitoring mechanisms
 E – Governance
 Real-time data on children accessing services
 data on availability & quality of services
 CARINGS to facilitate adoption processes
 Five tier Monitoring system - village level & above
 Inspection Committees, Management Committees & Children’s
Committees for institutions
• Facilitating restoration of missing children through web based
system
• Strengthening knowledge-base through research and
documentation
Webpage - http://wcd.nic.in/icpsmon/home1.aspx
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Towards a new dawn
THANK YOU
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Towards a new dawn
ICPS: WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE A PROTECTIVE
ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN
STATE
GOVT.
CENTRAL
PROJECT
SUPPORT UNIT
STATE CHILD
PROTECTION
SOCIETIES
MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
SPSU
SARA
DCPS
GOVT
INSTITUTIONS
NGOs
SAA
VILLAGE &
BLOCK LEVEL
CHILD
PROTECTION
COMMITTEES
CWCs
& JJBs
CHILDLINE
INDIA
FOUNDATION
REGIONAL
CENTRES
PARTNER
AGENCIES
NIPCCD
REGIONAL
CENTRES
CARA