Last Updated on October 6, 2021 at 12:35 pm
The government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been careless about various recommendations made by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) over one and half years back after detailed visit and deliberations with the authorities of the concerned departments. As well as committee under the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act have not been framed which are important for effective implementation of the law enacted by the Parliament.
In March 2020, a team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights led by its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo visited J&K to view the status of child rights and to conduct inter-departmental review-cum-consultation.
The Commission reviewed the situation of children in Child Care Institutions and to know about the functioning of child rights mechanism in J&K conducted the review meetings with the concerned officials of UT administration.
Various recommendations to be adopted by the Union Territory administration in a time bound manner were made. The most prominent recommendation was constitution of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights as per Section 17 of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 for child health, care, welfare or child development; juvenile justice or care of neglected or marginalized children or children with disabilities; elimination of child labour and ensure implementation of laws relating to children, reportedly.
But so far no step has been taken by the Social Welfare Department for establishment of state commission for protection of Child Rights.
Thus the major provision of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 has not been initiated although it became applicable since October 30, 2019 under the J&K Reorganization Act, 2019. Similarly, no project has been prepared for Non-Residential Special Training Centre/Residential Special Training Centre as it was recommendations of the NCPCR to the Department of School Education.
Moreover, as per reports, NCPCR had also advised proper functioning of National Child Labour Program in UT because the implementation of this Program continues to be very poor despite the fact that this is the major central sector scheme for the rehabilitation of child labour.
Because of lackadaisical attitude of concerned officials, the objective behind the visit of NCPCR and recommendations made has not been achieved so far.
