Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development released an important document titled “Mapping of Child Care Institutions under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015”. This report is based on a comprehensive survey conducted by Non-Government Organisations, Childline India Foundation and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The survey covered a total of 9,589 shelter homes and child care institutions. The mapping exercise explores a critical aspect of the Juvenile Justice System – the functioning of CCIs and Homes across the nation.
Nature and Management of CCIs/Homes
The findings of this survey reveal that among the surveyed homes, Children’s Homes are the most common. Other types of homes include Shelter Homes, Specialised Adoption Agency, Observation Homes, Special Homes, Swadhar Homes, Ujjawala, Place of Safety, and Combination Homes. Interestingly, the majority of these CCIs/Homes, precisely 91%, are run and managed by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), while only 9% are supported by the Government.
Children’s Profile in CCIs/Homes
Children residing in these CCI/Homes belong to various categories, including orphans, abandoned children, surrendered children, sexually abused children, victims of child pornography, victims of child trafficking for work or sexual exploitation, victims of child marriage, children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, natural disasters victims, conflict-driven refugees, and children with physical and mental challenges.
Standards of Child Care Facilities
The facilities provided to children in these homes were reviewed, specifically focusing on individual bedding, balanced nutrition, hygiene, maintenance, toilets, sufficient water supply, health check-ups, and educational facilities suitable to the child’s age and special needs. It was found that many CCIs/Homes failed to provide even these basic services adequately.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism
The absence of a proper grievance redressal mechanism, including children’s committees and management bodies, restricts children from expressing their views and concerns to the appropriate authorities.
Staffing and Human Resource Issues
Regarding staff adequacy, Delhi had the highest percentage of CCIs/Homes following the standard norms, whereas Sikkim had the lowest. Across all CCIs/Homes in India, there is a shortage of sufficient and adequately trained staff.
| State | Adequacy of Staff |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Highest |
| Sikkim | Lowest |
Physical Infrastructure
Many homes lack proper security measures, such as boundary walls and secure structures to ensure child and staff safety. Privacy in toilets and bathing areas is also often neglected. In some cases, specific bathrooms for children are not available.
Adherence to Juvenile Justice Act and Rules
Some states, such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh demonstrated poor adherence to the JJ Act.
Financial Transparency
Many CCIs/Homes lack a rigorous system for maintaining financial records, leading to significant transparency issues.
Recommendations
Based on these findings several recommendations were made. These included mandatory registration of all CCIs/Homes under the JJ Act, consistent and systematic record keeping, the adoption of child protection policies explained to all staff, the comprehensive background check of all personnel involved with CCIs/Homes, and the regular inspection and monitoring of these institutions. It was also suggested that governments and external agencies intervene to regularize finances for improved transparency.
