Latest news with #CWCs
Hans India
28-06-2025
- Hans India
Operation Muskaan to begin across State from July 1
Hyderabad: The eleventh phase of 'Operation Muskaan' will be conducted across Telangana from July 1 to 31. This month-long initiative is aimed at tracing, rescuing, and rehabilitating missing and trafficked children. A total of 121 Sub-Divisional Police Teams, comprising 706 police personnel, have been mobilised across the state to implement the operation. The operation will be conducted under the direct supervision of Charu Sinha, Additional Director General of Police, Women Safety Wing, which has been designated as the nodal agency for the operation in Telangana. These teams will work in close coordination with key departments and organisations, including the Women Development and Child Welfare Department, Labour Department, Health Department, Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), District Child Protection Units (DCPUs), and various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to ensure the effective rescue, protection, and rehabilitation of children. To facilitate seamless coordination, a state-level online convergence meeting was held on June 27th at the CID Conference Hall in Hyderabad, chaired by Charu Sinha. Representatives from crucial stakeholder departments and organisations, including the Telangana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Telangana State Legal Services Authority, the Women Development and Child Welfare Department, the Labour Department, the Public Health & Family Welfare Department, DCPOs, CWCs, UNICEF, Anti-Human Trafficking Teams, and Sub-divisional Operation Muskaan Teams, attended the meeting. Discussions focused on critical concerns such as child labour, bonded labour, and child begging. The emphasis was placed on enhancing inter-agency coordination, refining rescue protocols, strengthening legal frameworks, improving rehabilitation processes, and ensuring effective data management via the Telangana State Child Protection and Welfare Portal.
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- The Hindu
Child labour: survey finds 140 hotspots
A survey conducted by the Women and Child Development (WCD) department this year in all districts to detect child labour and child beggary detected 140 hotspots, Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George has said. The maximum number of hotspots were found in Ernakulam district – 30. Thiruvananthapuram had 12 hotspots, Kollam 11, Pathanamthitta six, Alappuzha 10, Kottayam seven, Idukki 13, Thrissur nine, Palakkad four, Malappuram nine, Kozhikode four, Wayanad eight, Kannur 19, and Kasaragod seven, a statement quoting the Minister said. These hotspots covered festival zones, companies, and plantations. Efforts to check child labour and beggary centred on these locations would be strengthened by the WCD in association with the Labour department and the police to completely eliminate child labour by next year, the Minister said. Last financial year, 704 rescue drives were held as part of the Sarana Balyam project implemented by the WCD to identify children engaged in child labour and rehabilitate them. Fifty-six children found likely to engage in child labour were rehabilitated. The Minister said Sarana Balyam had been linked to Kaval Plus to provide long-term services and rehabilitate children. Those rescued were presented in front of child welfare committees (CWCs). If they belonged to other States, they were sent to the CWCs of their respective States. If that was not possible, their care and protection and rehabilitation was taken up by the WCD. In case of child labour incidents, call 1098 or message 8281899479 on WhatsApp.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Charaideo focuses on enhanced child protection measures
Dibrugarh: Charaideo Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Monday conducted its quarterly review, while holding a meeting with the stakeholders, at the conference room of the district commissioner's office. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Chaired by district and sessions judge Abubakkar Siddique, the session aimed to assess progress, address challenges and enhance coordination among agencies responsible for juvenile justice and child welfare in the district. While the meeting addressed critical issues concerning the implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, other key topics, including rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law, functioning of Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and measures to expedite pending cases involving minors, were also discussed. Emphasising on the need for a child-friendly justice system, Siddique, said, "Our focus should be on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Every stakeholder must work together to ensure that children in conflict with the law are given proper guidance and opportunities for reintegration into society." The comprehensive discussion covered various aspects under the Juvenile Justice Board's jurisdiction, including case disposal rates, rehabilitation programs, and coordination between different agencies involved in child protection. Officials examined current procedures and identified areas requiring improvement to ensure more effective delivery of justice for juvenile cases. Sub-divisional district magistrate judge cum principal magistrate of the juvenile justice board, Tanwir Ikram Hazarika, emphasised on the importance of inter-agency collaboration during the meeting. Key stakeholders, including secretary of the district legal services authority (DLSA), Niva Rani Doloi, additional superintendent of police, Jyoti Prasad Pegu, and assistant commissioner cum acting district child protection officer, Rini Hazarika, participated in the meeting. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Doloi said, "Access to quality legal representation is fundamental to ensuring fair treatment of children in the justice system." The meeting concluded with commitments from all stakeholders to continue strengthening the juvenile justice framework in Charaideo district, with the next quarterly review scheduled to assess progress on identified action points and emerging issues in child protection and juvenile justice administration.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Time of India
90% of kids rescued last year were from child labour: Report
NEW DELHI: Nearly 90% of the 44,902 children freed from the clutches of exploitation in over 27,000 operations between April 2024 and March this year were rescued from child labour, according to a report. The children were rescued by a collective of voluntary organisations in collaboration with authorities. The highest number of rescue operations (23,530) were related to child labour, followed by cases of sexual exploitation (2,766), and begging (1,092). Telangana reported the highest number of child labour rescues (11,063), followed by Bihar (3,974), Rajasthan (3,847), Uttar Pradesh (3,804), and Delhi (2,588). As many as 2,971 children were rescued from sexual exploitation, with West Bengal standing out at the top with 1,005 rescues followed by Bihar (454), Odisha (232), Maharashtra (194) and Rajasthan (191). The report, prepared by voluntary organisation India Child Protection, has drawn from data gathered by Just Rights for Children, a civil society network of over 250 organisations in across 26 states and UTs working in coordination with law enforcement agencies to combat child labour and trafficking as an organised economic crime. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Focusing on how prosecution acts as a tipping point to end child labour, the report highlighted that legal action taken in 27,320 operations, showed that in majority of cases that is 35% (9,595) FIRs were registered - seen as a the most critical step in ensuring that those who are exploiting are prosecuted. In another 25% (6,959) cases were filed as General Diary entries, which are initial police records. In addition, around 23% of legal actions involved orders from child welfare committees (CWCs) or were filed under Form 17 of Juvenile Justice Rules, both of which focus on immediate care, protection and rehabilitation of rescued children. In 14% cases, challans were issued by labour departments, mainly in cases of child labour, serving as administrative penalties. The report said a very small proportion (less than 1%) were orders from district magistrates or sub-divisional magistrates, and only about 2% of cases had no clear legal action recorded. Just Rights for Children national convener Ravi Kant said despite gaps, prosecution action, crucial in creating strong deterrent against trafficking and child labour, is getting stronger in India. The report also highlighted that 5,809 employers and traffickers were arrested as part of these rescue operations and 85% of these were in child labour-related cases. Telangana, Bihar and Rajasthan reported the highest arrests, while states like UP and MP had fewer arrests despite high rescue numbers - highlighting enforcement gaps. The report also draws attention to missing children data, citing that is not uncommon for children classified as missing to be subsequently rescued from exploitative labour situations. Nearly 11,409 missing children were identified by the civil society network in 11,068 FIRs over 2024-25. Of them, 8,749 children were reported to be traced by March-end this year. States such as West Bengal (3,509), Maharashtra (1,149), and Bihar (1,306) reported the highest rescues of missing children, pointing to active coordination with child tracking systems.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC pulls up Raj govt over not filling child rights vacancies
1 2 Jodhpur: In a significant development, the Rajasthan High Court has reprimanded the state govt for its failure to fill long-pending vacancies in crucial child rights institutions. The bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Garg described the shortfall as a "major hurdle" in ensuring the welfare and protection of children in the state. The court's action came after it took suo motu cognisance of a report detailing alarming vacancies within the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (RSCPCR), juvenile justice boards (JJBs) and child welfare committees (CWCs). Notices were issued to the chief secretary, the social justice and empowerment department, and the department of child rights, highlighting the urgent need for govt participation in implementing child rights and the Juvenile Justice Act effectively. According to the report that prompted the court's intervention, of the 238 sanctioned posts in 34 JJBs, only 34 principal magistrates are currently in place, with just 28 of them serving full-time. Furthermore, 14 out of 68 member positions remain unfilled. In the CWCs, the situation is similarly concerning, with 144 out of 165 sanctioned chairpersons and members currently active, leaving significant gaps in representation and functionality. The report also noted that vacancies extend to essential childcare institutions, where 349 of the 941 sanctioned posts in observation homes, special homes and places of safety are unfilled. Additionally, 110 out of 201 posts across 33 district child protection units remain vacant. The situation is particularly dire at the RSCPCR, which is currently operating without a full-time chairperson. The role is being temporarily filled by the additional chief secretary for social justice and empowerment, while the position of member secretary is also vacant, handled by the special secretary for home affairs. The high court underscored the necessity for systemic strengthening of child rights bodies in Rajasthan, stating that the govt must ensure all positions are adequately staffed in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Model Rules, 2016. This intervention marks a critical step in addressing the pressing issues faced by child welfare institutions in the state and emphasises the need for immediate action to safeguard the rights and interests of children. The court has appointed an amicus curiae in the matter and directed the high court registrar to present the matter before an appropriate division bench for further hearings.
