Child Protection Laws in India with special reference to Role of NHRC in Implementation

Every child should have a joyful childhood and the chance to live a life free from abuse, exploitation, neglect, deprivation, and discrimination. The Indian Constitution accords the highest emphasis to the safety and well-being of children, who are recognised as equal rights holders. Historically we have witnessed a sea change in laws, policies and the recognition of human rights and child rights. A rights-based strategy has replaced common law principles, which regrettably favoured the wealthy. Whatever welfare done to vulnerable communities, including their children, depending on the dominant sections of society’s generosity and mercy. India is placed 112 in the Child Development Index, despite the fact that the world has achieved great advancements in the last decade in the areas of education, nutrition, and child health. Despite child protection act, we witness various forms of child rights violations, including the denial and inability to access the right to food, right to education, right to health and rights against exploitation. While our Constitution and various Union and State laws have provided the legal framework that allows us to ensure that all children have a safe and nurturing context to enjoy their childhood, still vast sections of children remain deprived of their rights. The ‘rights of children’, is one area on which the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has tried to focus continuously ever since it was constituted in October 1993. This paper talks about the role of Commission in preventing and eradicating the problems of child labour, child marriage, child trafficking and prostitution, child sexual violence, female foeticide and infanticide, child rape, HIV/AIDS in children and the problem of juveniles.