Police Officers for Child Welfare to be Appointed

• According to the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) advice, the Ministry of Home Affairs has requested that each state and union territory appoint a Child Welfare Police Officer (CWPO) to deal exclusively with children, whether they are the victims of crimes or the perpetrators of them.
• The warning comes amid a rise in crimes against children, including homicides and violations of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012.

What does the NCPCR's advisory say?

• According to the requirements of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015, every police station must have at least one officer designated as CWPO who is not below the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector.
• Every district and city shall establish a Special Juvenile Police Unit under the command of a policeman with at least the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
• To coordinate all police activities relating to children, the unit would be made up of CWPOs and two social workers with experience working in the field of child welfare, one of whom must be a woman.
• All police stations should include a sign with the CWPOs' contact information so that the public can get in touch with them.

What is India's situation with regard to crimes against children?

• Data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that:
• 1,28,531 crimes against minors were committed in 2020; 1,49,404 were committed in 2021.
• With 19,173 cases, Madhya Pradesh led the nation. Uttar Pradesh came in second with 16,838 cases.
• 1,402 kids were killed in total across the nation.
• In 2021, there were 1,18,549 reported occurrences of kidnapping and abduction involving kidnapped children.
• In these instances, the top three states were Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

Describe NCPCR.

• In accordance with the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act of 2005, the NCPCR was established as a legislative organization in March 2007.
• The Ministry of Women & Child Development has administrative jurisdiction over it.
• The Commission's job is to make sure that all laws, policies, programmes, and administrative procedures adhere to the view of children's rights that is reflected in both the Indian Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• In accordance with the Right to Education Act of 2009, it investigates complaints about a child's right to free and mandatory education.
• It keeps an eye on the 2012 POCSO Act's implementation.

About The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015:

• It took the place of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children Act) 2000 and the Juvenile Delinquency Law.

• The Act included provisions that would allow minors between the ages of 16 and 18 who were found to have broken the law, particularly for grave offences, to be tried as adults.
• The Act included provisions for adoption as well. The Act substituted a more openly applicable adoption statute for the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (1956) and the Guardians of the Ward Act (1890).
• The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) became the statutory body for adoption-related issues, enabling the seamless operation of adoption procedures for orphans, surrendered, and abandoned children.

About Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) 2012:

• It was created with the goal of defending children's interests and well-being against crimes involving sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.
• In order to ensure the kid's healthy physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development, it defines a child as any individual under the age of eighteen. It also prioritizes the child's welfare at every stage.
• Assaults that are penetrative and non-penetrative, sexual harassment, and pornography are all defined as kinds of sexual abuse.
• Under certain conditions, such as when the victim is mentally ill or when the abuse is carried out by someone in a position of trust or authority, such as a family member, police officer, teacher, or doctor, the law considers a sexual assault to be "aggravated."
• Additionally, it portrays the police as guardians of children while conducting an investigation.
• According to the Act, cases of child sexual abuse must be resolved within a year of the incident being reported.
• In August 2019, it was changed to include harsher penalties for sexual offences against children, including the death penalty.

Steps to Take.

• Comprehensive Framework: The report urges prioritizing anti-abuse prevention efforts, developing child-safe online environments, and urging everyone with a responsibility to safeguard children to collaborate in order to significantly enhance the response.
• A multi-stakeholder approach is being developed to involve parents, schools, communities, NGO partners, local governments, as well as police and attorneys, to better assure the execution of the legal system, policies, and national strategies and standards