An Indian statutory body, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), was established under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. It came into operation on March 5, 2007, and functions under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. As defined by the commission, this was enacted “to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms align with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Under this, the commission’s role is to ensure that all programs, policies, laws, and administration frameworks function according to the principles of children’s rights as per the Indian Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also acts to make different provisions for the establishment of state-level commissions. The commission’s main aim is to ensure that all children in the country get access to their fundamental rights, which include the right to education, survival, protection, growth, and participation.
Functions of NCPCR
- To review and examine safeguards provided for the protection of the child under any law and recommend ideas for effective implementation.
- To present reports to the central government, yearly or as it deems fit, regarding the works that are done or planned for those safeguards.
- Keep a check on the violation of any child’s rights and take appropriate steps for initiating proceedings in such cases.
- Examine all factors that prevent children from enjoying their rights. Affect of terrorism, riots, communal violence, domestic violence, prostitution, child trafficking, torture and exploitation, natural disaster, etc., and to recommend remedial measures.
- The commission takes care of the matters in which a child needs special care and protection. Children who are marginalized, distressed, disadvantaged, with any conflict with the law, without family, children of prisoners, etc., are properly cared for and supported.
- A review of existing policies and activities is done for the children’s best interest. New recommendations are made, and treaties and international instruments for children’s rights are studied.
- Promoting research in the field of child rights.
- Spreading awareness about different measures available to protect these rights in society.
Different measures for the protection of children
- The Constitution of India has specific laws and policies that defend children’s rights.
- Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (Child Rights Act, 2005)
- Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
- Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act), 2009
- The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
- National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
