Child Rights

Although India has a large number of laws to protect and promote the rights of children, children’s concerns are viewed primarily as a welfare issue rather a rights issue. By developing a legal rights-based approach for children, the Child Rights Initiative (CRI) combats the violation of children’s rights and increases their access to the legal system.

What SLIC Does


CRI’s major activity is filing Public Interest Cases in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts on issues affecting children. CRI provides pro-bono legal services to children in conflict with the law and children in need of care and protection in the Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees all over the country. CRI represents children who are victims of sexual abuse or bonded labour during trial proceedings in trial courts, and assists the prosecution in the trial.

CRI also provides training to the police, labour departments, civil society organizations, judiciary and government officials on various legislations and policies made for children. It has been instrumental in providing assistance in the formulation of new laws, rules and policies for children. It also conducts fact-findings, campaigns, publishes books and posters, organizes consultations, meetings and Judicial Colloquiums for increasing awareness about child rights among duty-bearers and right-holders.

CRI is part of the special taskforce for the rescue and rehabilitation of child labourers and responds to crisis situations through raid and rescue operations. It has set up a Crisis Intervention Center in the northwest and central districts of Delhi, which is also now being replicated in other states. It also monitors the implementation of various schemes and policies related to children. CRI functions in close collaboration with other grassroots organizations in the country.

Main Concerns

·      Child labour
·      Child trafficking.
·      Right to education
·      Child health and nutrition
·      Child marriages
·      Juvenile justice
·      Child sexual abuse
·      Torture and abuse of children

 

SLIC Impact


SLIC has been working towards rehabilitating children in conflict with the law and ensuring they don’t get stuck in the criminal justice system. The Supreme Court in our PIL on juvenile justice (Sampurna Behura Vs Union of India), ordered all the states and Union Territories in violation of complying with the JJ act provisions to do with the following:

·      Complete training of the Special Juvenile Police Units by the District Legal Aid Services Authority
·      Set up Juvenile Justice Boards in every district
·      Reduce pendency by ensuring that the Board sits daily with active participation of social workers
·      Create a module to train Legal Aid Lawyers and ensure their adequate presence in each district
·      Encourage the implementation of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme
·      Set up the Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Every state
 
CRI has also filed a PIL in the Odisha High Court (pending final hearing), to require the state to create a Compulsory Marriage Registration Act to combat child marriage, and ensure that the Mandatory provisions and rules of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act be strictly followed.

CRI has been successful in obtaining interim compensation in several cases for victims under POCSO in Manipur, Kerala and a few other states. It has represented refugee children who have come in the JJ System and obtained for them refugee status. In a few districts, SLIC-empanelled lawyers work with the DLSA to represent children in conflict with law and conduct trials in their cases.
State Consultation on Tiger Widows, Forest Rights Act, Reproductive Health Rights, and Human Trafficking

Sundarban is the largest tidal mangrove forest located in the south-east of India adjoining the Bay of Bengal with ...read more

SOUTH 24 PARGANAS DISTRICT MEETING

Human trafficking in India, although illegal under Indian law, remains a significant problem. Women and girls are traf ...read more

EAST MEDINIPORE DISTRICT MEETING

Attaining equality between women and men and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women are fundamental hum ...read more

EAST BARDDHAMAN DISTRICT MEETING

Women constitute almost 50% of the world’s population but India has shown disproportionate sex ratio whereby femaleâ ...read more

SWARUPNAGAR DISTRICT MEETING

Women constitute almost 50% of the world’s population but India has shown disproportionate sex ratio whereby femal ...read more

Bongaon District Meeting

Attaining equality between women and men and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women are fundame ...read more

State Level Meeting on Violation of Human Rights in West Bengal During Covid 19

Prior to the announcement of the National Lockdown on 25 March 2020, a number of courts had shut down in response to t ...read more

District Meeting on Women and Adolescent Empowerment

Women constitute almost 50% of the world’s population but India has shown disproportionate sex ratio whereby fema ...read more

District Meeting on Women and Adolescent Empowerment

Women constitute almost 50% of the world’s population but India has shown disproportionate sex ratio whereby fema ...read more

WEBINAR ON USE OF LAW FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

"Human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights, once and for all."- Hillary Rodham ClintonThe half ...read more

Paediatric Heath Facilities

Soumitra Karmakar Chakraborty vs. The State of West Bengal & Ors W.P.A. (P) No. 164 of 2021
Pending

Minor rape survivor's safe medical termination of pregnancy of 23 weeks

Madhusudha Biswal Vrs State of Odisha -W.P.(C) No. 13546 of 2021
Disposed off

Rescued Bonded laborers in Kurla to get Interim cash assistance as per the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation Bonded Labour, 2016

WRIT PETITION (L) NO.799 OF 2020 Vijay Ram (Minor) through father & Ors. .. Petitioners vs. District Collector, Sub-Urban Mumbai & Ors. .. Respondents
Disposed

Webinar on Understanding Child Rights Role of Law as an Enforcement Tool

Children’s in conflict areas have always been the worst affected part in the society, be it psychological or otherwise ...read more

Child Rights Significance and Need for Child Safeguarding, Children in Need of Care & Protection in Post Covid-19, Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences

A one day webinar on the issue of “the Concerns Pertaining to Child Rights Significance and Need for Child Safeguardin ...read more

Webinar on District Consultation Meeting on Training, Coaching and Mentoring of Paralegals of Santhal Pargana Development Cluster (SPDC), Pradan

Socio-Legal Information Centre conducted a zoom Webinar on District Consultation Meeting on Training, Coaching and Men ...read more

Using the Law for Human Rights in Arunachal Pradesh

On 18th July, the Socio-Legal Information Centre, in collaboration with North East Support Centre & Helpline, Himala ...read more

Medical Termination of Pregnancy of rape victim

Raju Ravidas Versus State of Jharkhand and ors.
Disposed of

Minor SC Girl demands her right to abortion

Shashikala Vs. State of Madhya Pradesh, W.P. No. 8689/2020
Disposed Off

Bombay High Court: Raped Teen May Abort 23-Week Foetus

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday allowed a 13-year-old who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her father ...read more

One Out of Every 7 Kids Malnourished in Indore District

INDORE: The Indore bench of MP high court has issued a notice to the state government seeking reply over two petitions f ...read more

Plan of Action: For Working Children in Delhi

To address the situation arising from the recent notification declaring ban on employment of children in domestic work e ...read more

Child Sexual Abuse and the Law

This book analyses important judgement from India and abroad and is useful for advocate and NGOs when they take child se ...read more

Child Marriages and the Law in India

Without consulting any of the NGOs currently campaigning against child marriages, the UPA government has clandestinely d ...read more

Report: National Consultation on Child Rights

rights to discuss and mull over the conflicts and challenges while litigating and while doing advocacy and chalk out st ...read more

Lawyer Shreeji Bhavsar speaks on the sexual assault and murder of 15 year old girl in Dholpur, Rajasthan #BetiBachao

Rajasthan High Court, on September 25th, 2018, issued notice to the state government and CBI in case of sexual assault a ...read more

No country for its own children: Only constant vigilance and swift action can stop child rapes in India

Socio-Legal Information Centre expresses its concern over the recent and increasingly distressing slew of child sexual a ...read more

Call for applications for National Consultation of Lawyers on Child Rights in Himachal Pradesh

If you’re a young lawyer, law student or social activist who intends to work in the field of child rights and fight fo ...read more

Lack of action on child bonded labour: Delhi HC issues notice to state, asks for status reports on child labour schemes

Nirmal Gorana v Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors WP (Crl) 1011/2018 This petition made the grievance that despit ...read more

Child marriage: The worst form of slavery

The inescapable presence of child marriage that has persisted through the ages depicts the human rights crisis within In ...read more

Delhi HC issues notice in case of school discriminating against child with ADHD

The Delhi High Court on February 6, 2018, issued notices to respondent parties in a case of discrimination against and t ...read more

Supreme Court on Children

The Supreme Court of India and the High Courts of the states have made enormous and innovative interventions using Artic ...read more

Out of School Children

Nomadic and Denotified tribes constitute approximately 10% of Indian population1. Having left out of both the sc ...read more

Indian Laws Protecting Children

Edited by: Pankaj Sinha. ...read more

Awareness of Juvenile Justice : Jammu and Kashmir

Research Led by : Sahar Gul and Heeba Din. ...read more

A study on the social life of ex-residents of the government juvenile justice institutions in kerala.

Book is edited, Adv. Sandhya Raju Research is led by Gopika Govindan, Diya Elizabeth Punnoose, Adv. Arunima .N. Das ...read more

SLIC files petition seeking action against alarming number of children dying from malnutrition in MP

Shriprakash Singh Nimraje vs State of MP & Ors Several children have died of malnutrition-related ailments in Madhya ...read more

Fact findings on Public Health Centres in South West Khasi Hills, Shillong

Please find the Fact Finding Report attached. Public Health Centres in South West Khasi hills Districts of Meghalay ...read more

Fact finding report on Public Heath Centres in Meghalaya

Please find the Fact finding report attached. Rambrai Public health centre In West West Khasi Hills District of Me ...read more

Survey conducted of Government schools in Bihar

Bihar State Primary Teachers Association vs. U.O.I & Ors.

Fact finding on Public Health Centres in Shillong, Meghlaya

Please find the Fact Finding Report attached. Public Health Centres in Ri-Bhoi and East Khasi hills Districts of ...read more