News:The Child Rights and You has released a report titled “How Vulnerable are Children in India to crime?”.
Facts:
- The report is based on the analysis of National Crime Records Bureau for 2016-17.
Key takeaways from the report:
- The report says that the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states for crimes against children.There were over 19,000 cases in both the states.
- Jharkhand saw the highest increase in crimes against children at 73.9 percent while Manipur had a significant decline of 18.7 percent between 2016 and 2017.
- The Child labor in the country also saw a substantial increase of 126%. The report says that in 2016 child labor was 204 and it increased to 462 in 2017.
- As far as Child Marriage is concerned there was an increase of 21.17%. The numbers were based on the cases registered under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act(PCMA),2006.
- However,the report sees this as a positive development as both child marriage and child labour often get social sanction and go unreported.
Recommendations:
- The report suggests that there has to be an increase in the financial investments in child protection.
- The focus should be on capacity building among officials working in child protection systems.
Additional information:
About CRY:
- Child Rights and You commonly abbreviated as CRY is an Indian non-governmental organization which aims to restore children’s rights.
- The organization was founded in 1979 by Rippan Kapoor.
About Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006:
- The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 came into force on 1st November 2007 in India.It replaced the earlier legislation of Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929.
- The act aims to prohibit child marriage, protect and provide relief to victim and enhance punishment for those who abet, promote or such marriage.
- The Act also calls appointment of Child Marriage Prohibition Officer for whole or a part of a State by the State government.
About NCRB:
- The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The agency is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL).
