Child Rights and Protection System in India

Abstract

A child is an asset and the future of our nation. The UNCRC has defined a child as a person who has not completed eighteen years of age. India has many protection policies and rights for children. Every child has the right to freedom and inherits all the rights as a child. At the International level, the UNO has declared 1979 as the international year for children. In the Indian constitution, Article 21A states that “the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children aged six to fourteen years”. This ensures that every child receives an education and also guarantees the right to live, the right against discrimination, the right to enjoy and attain a standard of health, the right to protect from mistreatment, and the right to privacy for the children. Our country has implemented important legislation to protect the child, such as the Juvenile Justice Act 2000, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act 2012, and the Child Labour Act 1986. These laws state that every citizen of our country has the responsibility to protect a child.