The committee has the final say in cases involving children’s care, protection, treatment, development, rehabilitation, and providing their basic needs and human rights. However, the committee lacks the power to place a child up for adoption.
What is Child Welfare Committee?
A Child Welfare Committee is an independent organization created in India under the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 to handle and resolve complaints involving a child who has been lost, abandoned, orphaned, voluntarily left away by their parents, orphaned and also needs care for their growth, protection, treatment, development, and rehabilitation. This care includes meeting their basic needs and protection. A Child Welfare Committee is responsible for caring for such children, and the Juvenile Justice Act suggests that each district have a minimum of one such committee.
Each child welfare committee in a district of India should have a chairperson and four members, and each committee should have a three-year term. One of the members should be an expert on issues relating to women and children.
Powers Of CWC
The Criminal Procedure Code of 1973 grants the Child Welfare Committee the authority of a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Judicial Magistrate (First Class).
Section 29 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015 outlines the Child Welfare Committee’s authority.
- The committee is fully empowered to decide on cases involving children’s care, protection, and treatment.
- The committee may also decide on cases involving the development, rehabilitation, and protection of vulnerable children and those involving the provision of the children’s essential needs and the protection they require.
- When a Committee is established for a specific area, it has the authority to handle solely any proceedings brought under this Act’s provisions that pertain to children who require care and protection.
Functions Of CWC
Section 30 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015 discusses Child Welfare Committee’s duties and responsibilities. Below is a list of a few duties and tasks:
- Children who are born before it are aware. The committee may see children who have been neglected.
- Investigating matters about and impacting the security and welfare of the children as defined by this Act.
- To instruct non-governmental organizations, district child protection units, and child welfare officers to conduct socil investigations and submit a report to the committee.
- To conduct a probe to declare individuals qualified to look after vulnerable children.
Child protection aims to shield kids from any threat—real or imagined—that could endanger their lives or formative years. It emphasises lowering their susceptibility to any kind of harm and ensuring that no child is left outside the social safety net. Those kids who do ought to get the support they need to get back to safety, including the required care, protection, and moral care. To give the kids this kind of care, the Child Welfare Committee works.
