Lok Sabha Question No. 553 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-09
Subject: Functioning of NCPCR
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sisir Kumar Adhikari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.553

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.12.2022

## FUNCTIONING OF NCPCR

- 553: SHRI SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI :

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the functions of the National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) in the country;
- (b) the steps taken by the Commission regarding child trafficking, child marriage and sexual abuse cases during the last three years, State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether Commission faces any kind of challenge during taking action against the culprits involve in these crimes; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a): The functions of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) as enumerated in Section -13 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights(CPCR) Act 2005 are attached at Annexure-I.
- (b): The  Commission  has  taken  various  steps  towards  combating  child  trafficking,  to prevent  child  marriage  and  to  curb  sexual  abuse  cases  against  the  children  during  the  last three years, the details of which are given at Annexure-II & III.
- (c)&(d): The  Commission  takes  all  possible  steps  to  ensure  that  law  enforcement agencies take stringent action against the culprits involved in such cases. In this regard, the Commission has held various sensitization, orientation and awareness generation workshops for multiple stakeholders.
- *****

## FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION

13. (1) The Commission shall perform all or any of the following functions, namely:-
2. (a) Examine and review the safeguards provided by or under any law for the time being in force for the protection of child rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation;
3. (b)   Present to the Central Government, annually and at such other intervals, as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards;
4. (c)   Inquire into violation of child rights and recommend initiation of proceedings in such cases;
5. (d)  Examine all factors that inhibit the enjoyment of rights of children affected by terrorism, communal violence, riots, natural disaster, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, trafficking: maltreatment, torture and exploitation, pornography and prostitution and recommend appropriate remedial measures;
6. (e)   look  into  the  matters  relating  to  children  in  need  of  special  care  and  protection  including  children  in  distress, marginalized  and  disadvantaged  children,  children  in,  conflict  with  law,  juveniles,  children  without  family  and children of prisoners and recommend appropriate remedial measures;
7. (f) study treaties and other international instruments and undertake periodical review of existing policies, programmes and other activities on child rights and make recommendations for their effective implementation in the best interest of children;
8. (g)   Undertake and promote research in the field of child rights;
9. (h)   spread  child  rights  literacy  among  various  sections  of  the  society  and  promote  .awareness  of  the  safeguards available for protection of these rights through publications, the media, seminars and other available means;
10. (i)   inspect or cause to be inspected any juvenile custodial home, or any other place of residence or institution meant for children, under the control of the Central Government or any State Government or any other authority, including any institution  run  by  a  social  organisation;  where  children  are  detained  or  lodged  for  the  purpose  of  treatment, reformation or protection and take up with these authorities for remedial action, if found necessary;
11. (j)   Inquire into complaints and take suo-moto notice of matters relating to,-
12. (i)     Deprivation and violation of child rights;
13. (ii)    Non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children;
14. (iii)  Non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed  at, mitigating          hardships to and ensuring welfare of the children and to provide relief to such children,

or take up the issues arising out of such matters with appropriate authorities; and

- (k)   such other functions as it may consider necessary for the promotion of child rights and any other matter incidental to the above functions.

(2)  The  Commission  shall  not  inquire  into  any  matter  which  is  pending  before  a  State  Commission  or  any  other Commission duly constituted under any law for the time being in force.

This section enumerates in detail the functions of the Commission considered necessary for overall promotion and protection of child rights.

## Steps taken by NCPCR regarding Child Trafficking during the last 3 years.

## I. 2019-20

NCPCR organized three (3) one day district level workshops on Combating Child Trafficking in the North Eastern Region of our Country viz; at Kokrajhar , Tezpur and Dibrugarh, Assam on  16.03.2019,  19.03.2019  and  22.03.2019.  Police  officials,  Media  professionals,  JJB Members, CWCs, DCPUs, SJPUs, DCPOs, Law students, Youth Groups, Student volunteers, participated in the workshop.

## II. 2020-21

NCPCR  organized  series  of  one  day  district  level  workshops  on  Combating  Child Trafficking at various potential Source and Destination Hotspot districts of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and West Tripura, NER viz.

|   Sl. No. | District/State         |
|-----------|------------------------|
|         1 | Karbianglong, Assam    |
|         2 | Churachandpur, Manipur |
|         3 | Chandel, Manipur       |
|         4 | Imphal East, Manipur   |
|         5 | Kohima, Nagaland       |
|         6 | Agartala, West Tripura |
|         7 | Kokrajhar, Assam       |
|         8 | Dibrugarh, Assam       |

## OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of the workshops conducted by the Commission were to;

1. Assess  the  current  situation  of  Child  Rights  with  focus  on  child  trafficking  at  the District/State Level;
2. Review  the  effectiveness  of  the  provisions  of  ITPA,  JJA,  IPC  and  other  laws  for  the rescue and post-rescue work;
3. Exchange the experience amongst the concerned agencies with regard to rescue and postrescue work;
4. Suggest ways to overcome the problems faced by the various government functionaries involved in rescue and post-rescue work;
5. Examine the involvement of NGOs;
6. Discuss the roles, responsibilities and functions of the various stakeholders in combating trafficking;
7. Bring all the stakeholders together and come up with recommendations.
8. Assess programs, legislations, judicial innervations at State Level etc.;
9. Analyse the dimensions of child trafficking in the District; and
10. Discuss modus operandi (a particular way of doing something) of traffickers;

## PARTICIPANTS:

The  participants  who  attended  the  said  workshops  were  Deputy  Commissioners  of  the concerned  Districts, Police Officers (of  the  rank  of  Superintendent  of  Police/Deputy Superintendent of Police/Inspector having experience of handling cases under the ITPA/other laws related to rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked victims), Government Officials (of the rank  of  Superintendent  or  Probation  Officer  or  any  State  Home  for  Women/Protective Home/Rescue Home/Juvenile Home/Nari-Niketan having experience of handling cases under the ITPA/other laws related to rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked victims), District Child Welfare officers of Police Stations, District head of SJPU, Child-line full unit, District Labour officer, Block level officers, DCPU, District Education officers, CDPOs, representative from District Health Departments and representatives of some Civil Society Organizations working in  the  field,  Media  professionals,  JJB  Members,  CWCs,  DCPUs,  SJPUs,  DCPOs,  Law students, Youth Groups, Student volunteers also participated in the workshop.

## III. 2021-22

Human trafficking is a serious crime and worst forms of violation of human rights that occurs throughout  the  world,  including  India,  which  has  gained  momentum  in  past  few  years.  In India,  trafficking  is  primarily  an  offence  under  the  Indian  Penal  Code,  1860.  It  defines trafficking as (i) recruitment, (ii) transportation, (iii) harbouring, (iv) transfer, or (v) receipt of a  person for exploitation by use of  certain forceful means. In addition, there are also other laws  which  regulate  trafficking  for  specific  purposes.  The  reasons  for  the  increase  in  this phenomenon  are  multiple  and  complex.  The  exploitative  nature  of  this  crime  feeds  on poverty, despair, war, crises, calamities (both man-made and natural), pandemics, ignorance and unequal status of women and children in most societies.

The trade of humans trafficked is most commonly for the purpose of sexual, slavery, forced labour,  or  commercial  sexual  exploitation,  for  the  trafficker  or  others.  Sizeable  number  of humans  trafficked  across  the  globe  and  within  India  are  children.  The  gamut  of  other exploitative situations related to child trafficking includes; providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, pushing a child into traditional sex work, extraction of organs or tissues, using for surrogacy or ovary removal, conducting medical tests as guinea pigs, sale of babies for  adoption,  acquiring  children  for  illegal  activities  through  adoption,  under  the  façade  of medical tourism etc.

According to the NCRB records, it is noted that thousands of children go missing each year from India. As per Crime in India (CII) data, during the year 2016 a total of 63,407 children, during 2017, 63,349 children, and during 2018 a total of 67,134 children have been reported as  missing.  There  are  several  Source  and  Destination  hotspots  from  where  children  get trafficked inter-states and across the borders, internationally. Certain pockets of our country viz.  the  Eastern  and  North  Eastern  region  are  particularly  vulnerable  due  to  the  porous borders  they  share  with  Bangladesh,  Nepal,  Myanmar,  Bhutan  and  China.  In  view  of  the above facts NCPCR, through its North East Cell held the following activities related to Child Trafficking viz;

## 1. Virtual  meetings  to  discuss  the  issue  of  Child  Trafficking  with  SCPCRs  of  Source Hotspot States

In  this  backdrop,  NCPCR  to  understand  the  situation  of  Child  Trafficking  better  and Chairperson  NCPCR  held  various  virtual  meetings  with  State  CPCRs  of  trafficking  prone Hotspots States with focus on Eastern and North Eastern States of our country in FY' 202122. In  the  detailed  virtual  discussions  each  State  SCPCRs  shared  with  NCPCR  the  gaps, challenges faced w.r.t combating the menace of child trafficking and way forward action to be initiated in this regard.

## 2. National Level Multi- stakeholders E-Consultation meeting to Combat Child Trafficking Post Lockdown Situation due to COVID-19

During  the  period  of  COVID-19  pandemic,  the  world  has  been  going  through  an  extraordinary situation resulting in global crisis to combat the said pandemic. Multiple measures have  been  taken  globally  and  within  the  country  in  India  to  counter  the  spread  of  novel corona  virus.  One  of  the  major  steps  taken  by  the  Governments  (Centre  and  State)  is observation  of  a  lock  down,  resulting  in  no  mobility  and  people  staying  home  or  location where  they  are, with advisory by  the  Governments  to  observe  social  distancing in consultation  with  health  experts.  In  the  aftermath  of  post  lock  down  during  COVID-19 pandemic,  various  caution  and  care  mechanisms  were  required  to  be  undertaken  to  create safeguards for combating child trafficking. Children are at potential risks of being exposed to unconventional  and  newer  exploitative  means  adopted  by  the  predators  who  await  every possible opportunity to exploit children and get them into their fold of trafficking for various purposes. Multipronged solution focused interventions are required to curb any/all probable incidences of child trafficking in existing circumstances post lock down. Concerted efforts in collaboration with Centre and State Governments, NGOs, CSOs  are required to be taken at the macro and micro level. NCPCR proposes to hold a meeting with a 'Consultative Group' which would meet through e-platform, to dwell upon the responses and draft recommendations to combat child trafficking post lockdown.

Responding to the aforementioned situation, Chairperson, National Commission for protection  of  Child  Rights  convened  a  virtual  National  Level  Multi-  stakeholders  EConsultation meeting to Combat Child Trafficking Post Lockdown Situation due to COVID19 involving multiple stakeholder's viz. officials from Niti Aayog, Chairperson and Members of  State  Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) of Source and Destination Hotspot States, International Organisations working in the field of Trafficking viz.; UNODC, UNESCO, UNAIDS etc. along with other CSOs/NGOs active at ground level, Experts in the field of child trafficking on 8th May 2021.

Some of the points proposed for discussions were as follows:

- I. Focused  interventions  for  vulnerable  hotspot  Source  States  of  Eastern  and  North Eastern Region of our country viz. West  Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and NE States. Similarly, focused intervention for Destination States of our country.
- II. Formation of sub-groups for effective prevention, rescue, rehabilitation and repatriation for Source and Destination States.
- III. Spreading wider awareness regarding combating child trafficking in schools, blocks, villages, communities, panchayat etc.
- IV. Strict monitoring of public transport facilities such as buses and other means of road transports, bus terminals, toll nakaas on borders, railway stations, ferries, airways etc.
- V. Mobilization  of  youth  groups  and  community/village  leaders  to  become  watchdogs for predators of trafficking in hunt of children.
- VI. Monitoring  of  Health  care  facilities  and  CCIs  including  Shelter  Homes,  Adoption agencies, Schools, Hostels, Aanganwadi Centres etc.
- VII. Monitoring of reporting mechanisms-Missing Vs Trafficked 8. Creating a safety mesh at  Regional,  Zonal  and  State  Level  of  Government  officials,  NGOs,  Youth  Groups, Media to combat trafficking. 9. Any/all issues flagged by the 'Consultative Group'.

## 3. NCPCR's Document containing Recommendations on 'Preventing Child Trafficking Post Lock Down 'Due to COVID 19 Pandemic

Further, based on the inputs received and observations made by the Commission through various meetings conducted virtually  with SCPCRs, other stakeholders, various rescue operations conducted during lockdown period and inquiries taken up by the Commission, it has been noted that recommendations to 'Combat Child Trafficking, Post Lock Down Situation due to COVID-19' needs to be focused on Preventive and Curative aspects at the Source, Transit and Destination Hotspot States. Since apprehensions have been raised by  various  stakeholders  that  Child  Trafficking  may  go  on  incline  during  and  after COVID-19 lockdown situation, NCPCR has outlined recommendations from preventive aspects, to be referenced to for the  time being, during extra ordinary circumstances due to COVID-19 lockdown.

The  Commission  has  formulated  the  said  recommendations  in  consonance  with  the Advisory issued by MHA dated 06th July 2020 for 'Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking  especially  during  COVID-19  Pandemic  period'. The  Commission  has  laid out specific recommendations  at Source, Transit and Destination Hotspots.  The recommendations formulated by the Commission outlines basic indicators for identification of vulnerable families and children at risk of trafficking at the village/urban habitation level and provided with a safety mesh at the family level. The Commission has observed that providing benefits of various welfare schemes provisioned  by  the  State/Centre  Governments  to  the  vulnerable  families  makes  the preventive process more family centric. Once the family is provided with benefits of the relevant  Governmental  Welfare  Schemes  from  the  perspective  of  the  best  interest  of child, the family in turn becomes child centric; family being considered as the primary unit of child security. Hence, the Commission feels that providing the vulnerable family with the social protection cover shall reduce the risk of a child getting trafficked.

To enable this process, meetings at District, Block and Village levels are required to be undertaken and identification and matching of the vulnerable families having children at risk  with  the  available  Governmental  Welfare  schemes  beneficial  for  the  family  is required to be done. The entire process needs to be tracked at the Village, Block, District, State and National Level. SCPCR and NCPCR along with CSOs and other stakeholders shall play a key role in monitoring this process.

## 4. SAMVARDHAN: PREVENTING CHILD TRAFFICKING DURING POST LOCKDOWN SITUATION DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

## ACTION INITIATED BY THE COMMISSION:

- i NCPCR has held virtual meetings with all State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) of Hotspot States.
- ii On  the  occasion  of  ' World  Day  against  Trafficking  in  Persons '  with  focus  on Children, the Commission organized a Webinar on 'Preventing Child Trafficking Post Lockdown  situation  due  to  COVID19' on  30 th July  2020  chaired  by  Chairperson NCPCR  and  Expert  panelists  viz.  Padmashri  Dr.  Sunitha  Krishnan,  Dr.  Anamika Singh,  IAS,  Director  WCD,  NITI  Aayog,  Shri  Rajesh  Kumar,  Deputy  Director, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Dr. Sunita Changkakati, Chaiperson, Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (Assam SCPCR) Smt. Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborty Chairperson West Bengal (WBSCPCR), Dr. P.M. Nair, Former Director General, NDRF, Expert in Human Trafficking Issues
- iii The  Commission,  in  collaboration  with  Jharkhand  SCPCR,  District  Administration has pilot launched 'Samvardhan' Program first of its kind exercise for mapping of children  and  their  families  vulnerable  to  child  trafficking  in  Khunti  District  of Jharkhand at District, block, village/panchayat and urban habitation levels. Shri Arjun Munda, Hon'ble Minister, Ministry of Tribal Affairs had inaugurated the said  pilot launch.  Similar  such  mapping  exercise  has  been  planned  in  Dumka  District  of Jharkhand subsequently. The said exercise has been completed wherein data has been collected at village level by various committees as mentioned in  NCPCRs recommendations on 'Preventing Child Trafficking Post Lockdown due to COVID-19 Pandemic'.  The  data  collection  is  complete  and  the  Commission  has  received information  regarding  approx.  3825  vulnerable  children  from  various  villages  in blocks of Khunti District, Jharkhand. The Commission would be treating the same as grievances and sharing with the district administration for needful action.
- iv The Commission has pilot launched 'Samvardhan' Program; Mapping of Children & Families Vulnerable to Child Trafficking and Matching them with benefits under various Schemes of Government of India and State Government' in 10 Districts of Bihar viz. Sitamadhi, Samastipur, Gaya, Katihar, West Champaran, Arariya, Purniya, Madhubani Muzafarpur and Darbhanga December 2020 in collaboration with Bihar SCPCR, District Administration of the mentioned 10 Child Trafficking prone hotspot districts executed by CSO partner; Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA)
- v The  Commission  has  initiated  a  pilot  launch  of  'Mapping  of  Children  &  Families Vulnerable  to  Child  Trafficking  and  matching  them  with  benefits  under  various Schemes of Government of India and State Government in Baksa District of Assam in collaboration  with  Assam  SCPCR.  Similar  such  exercise  shall  be  undertaken  in various Hotspot districts of Tripura.
- vi The Commission has also requested Ministry of DONER to financially assist Assam SCPCR  to  undertake  mapping  of  all  the  vulnerable  children  and  their  families  in various district of Assam. A proposal to that effect has been submitted by ASCPCR to Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) and NCPCR.
- vii The Commission has conducted a State Level workshop on 'Mapping of Children & Families  Vulnerable  to  Child  Trafficking  and  matching  them  with  benefits  under various Schemes of Government of India and State Government in Imphal, Manipur on 20 th January 2021 in collaboration with Manipur SCPCR.
5. The  Commission  held  three  (3)  One  Day  State  Level  Workshops  on  Preventing  Child Trafficking  during  Extra  Ordinary  Situation  of  COVID  19  in  the  State  of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura in September 2021. The workshop were held in collaboration with respective  State  Commissions  for  Protection  of  Child  Rights  (SCPCRs)  with  all the concerned stakeholders as mentioned in NCPCRs recommendation document on preventing child trafficking during post lockdown situation due to COVID-19 pandemic.
6. Further,  the  Commission  held  a  'National  Workshop  on  Child  Rights  with  emphasis  on Preventive  aspects  of  Child  Protection  Issue'  organised  by  NCPCR  on  the  occasion  of celebrating  'Azadi  ka  Amrit  Mohatsav'  to  be  held  on  21.11.2021  at  Constitution  Club  of India,  Rafi  Marg,  New  Delhi.  The  said  workshop  was  presided  by Hon'ble  Minister, MWCD, Secretary MWCD and attended by other stakeholders from Judiciary, Legal, Media, Representatives  Central  Ministries,  State  Departments,  State  SCPCRs,  DGP/IGs  and  other senior Police officials representing AHTUs, Secretary's/Senior and other INGO/NGOs/CSOs, Individual Experts, Child Line India and its partners, Railway Child Line, Panchayti Raj etc. Experts like Padmashree Dr. Sunitha Krishnan and Dr. P.M. Nair, Former Director General, NDRF and leading Expert in the field of Child/human Trafficking addressed the stakeholder on 'Preventive strategies to combat child trafficking' and ' Judicial and Legal provisions to combat child trafficking'.

## 7. 'बाल  त  कर  से  आज़ाद  ' Combating Child Trafficking Campaign in 75 Bordering Districts of Assam

National  Commission  for  Protection  of  Child  Rights  (NCPCR),  as  an  apex  statutory  body constituted  under  the  Commission  for  Protection  of  Child  Rights  Act,  2005,  an  Act  of Parliament  of  India,  commemorated  'World  day  against  Human  Trafficking'  observed  on 30th  July,  2022.  On  this  occasion,  NCPCR  rolled  out  a  25  days  long  campaign  i.e. 'Combating Child Trafficking 'बाल त कर से आज़ाद ' ' in 75 bordering Districts of India under the banner of Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav (AKAM), to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India.

NCPCR had identified 75 Bordering Districts of our country to roll out a 25 day campaign starting 1st August 2022 to 25th August 2022 viz. 'Combating Child Traffickingबाल त कर से  आज़ाद ' to celebrate 'World day against Human Trafficking' observed on 30th

July, 2022 under the banner of Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav (AKAM). The campaign focused on holding  Sensitization  Workshops  for  1 st Responders  i.e.  Special  Juvenile  Police  Units (SJPUs)/ Child Welfare Police Officers (CWPOs) of Thanas and Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) and District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) of the identified districts. (List is placed below for reference)

| LIST OF 75 BORDERING DISTRICTS OF INDIA FOR ROLLING OUT CAMPAIGN ONPREVENTING CHILD TRAFFICKING   | LIST OF 75 BORDERING DISTRICTS OF INDIA FOR ROLLING OUT CAMPAIGN ONPREVENTING CHILD TRAFFICKING   | LIST OF 75 BORDERING DISTRICTS OF INDIA FOR ROLLING OUT CAMPAIGN ONPREVENTING CHILD TRAFFICKING   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                           | Name of State                                                                                     | Name of Bordering Districts                                                                       |
| 1                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Baksa                                                                                             |
| 2                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Udalguri                                                                                          |
| 3                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Dhubri                                                                                            |
| 4                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Kokrajhar                                                                                         |
| 5                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | South Salmara- Mankachar                                                                          |
| 6                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Cachar                                                                                            |
| 7                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Karimganj                                                                                         |
| 8                                                                                                 | ASSAM 8 Districts                                                                                 | Chirang                                                                                           |
| 9                                                                                                 | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | Araria                                                                                            |
| 10                                                                                                | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | Kishanganj                                                                                        |
| 11                                                                                                | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | Supaul                                                                                            |
| 12                                                                                                | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | Madhubani                                                                                         |
| 13                                                                                                | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | West Champaran-Betiah                                                                             |
| 14                                                                                                | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | Sitamarhi                                                                                         |
| 15                                                                                                | 7 Districts MANIPUR 6 Districts Name of State                                                     | East Champaran-Motihari                                                                           |
| 16                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Ukhrul                                                                                            |
| 17                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Kamjong                                                                                           |
| 18                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Chur Chandpur                                                                                     |
| 19                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Pherzawl                                                                                          |
| 20                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Tengnoupal                                                                                        |
| 21                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Chandel                                                                                           |
| Sl. No.                                                                                           |                                                                                                   | Name of Bordering Districts                                                                       |
| 22                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | East Khasi Hills                                                                                  |
| 23                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | West Khasi Hills                                                                                  |
| 24                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | West Garo Hills                                                                                   |
| 25                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | South West Garo Hills                                                                             |
| 26                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | South Garo Hills                                                                                  |
| 27                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | South West Khasi Hills                                                                            |
| 28                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | East Jaintia Hills                                                                                |
| 29                                                                                                | MEGHALAYA 8 Districts                                                                             | West Jaintia Hills                                                                                |
| 30                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Mamit                                                                                             |
| 31                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Saitual                                                                                           |
| 32                                                                                                |                                                                                                   | Serchhip                                                                                          |
| 33 34                                                                                             |                                                                                                   | Hnahthial                                                                                         |
|                                                                                                   |                                                                                                   | Lunglei                                                                                           |

|   35 | Lawngtlai                                                             |                   |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
|   36 | Lawngtlai                                                             | Siaha             |
|   37 | Lawngtlai                                                             | Champhai          |
|   38 | Lawngtlai                                                             | Khawzawl          |
|   39 |                                                                       | Kiphire           |
|   40 | NAGALAND                                                              | Mon               |
|   41 | 5Districts                                                            | Noklak            |
|   42 |                                                                       | Phek              |
|   43 |                                                                       | Tuensang          |
|   44 | SIKKIM                                                                | West Sikkim       |
|   45 | 2 Districts                                                           | North Sikkim      |
|   46 | TRIPURA 8 Districts Dhalai Gomati Khowai North Tripura Sepahijala     |                   |
|   47 |                                                                       |                   |
|   48 |                                                                       |                   |
|   49 |                                                                       |                   |
|   50 |                                                                       |                   |
|   51 |                                                                       | South Tripura     |
|   52 |                                                                       | Unakoti           |
|   53 |                                                                       | West Tripura      |
|   54 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Baharaich         |
|   55 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Balrampur         |
|   56 | 8 Districts                                                           | Kushi Nagar       |
|   57 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Lakhimpur Kheri   |
|   58 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Maharajganj       |
|   59 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Pilibhit          |
|   60 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Shrawasti         |
|   61 | UTTAR PRADESH                                                         | Siddhartha Nagar  |
|   62 | UTTARAKHAND 3 Districts                                               | Champawat         |
|   63 | UTTARAKHAND 3 Districts                                               | Pithoragarh       |
|   64 | UTTARAKHAND 3 Districts                                               | Udham Singh Nagar |
|   65 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | Cooch Behar       |
|   66 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | Alipurduar        |
|   67 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda |                   |
|   68 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda |                   |
|   69 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda |                   |
|   70 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | Dinajpur          |
|   71 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda |                   |
|   72 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | Uttar Dinajpur    |
|   73 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | North 24 Parganas |
|   74 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | Nadia             |
|   75 | WESTBENGAL 11 Districts Jalpaiguri Kalimpong Darjeeling Dakshin Malda | Murshidabad       |

## Steps taken by NCPCR regarding Child Sexual Abuse and Child Marriage during the last 3 years:

1. NCPCR  has  developed  information,  education  and  communication  (IEC)  material  to support the Centre and State Government  for dissemination of information and awareness on POCSO Act 2012. The following IEC material is available on the NCPCR's website www.ncpcr.gov.in.
- i.  An easy guide for implementation of the POCSO Act 2012.
- ii.  A  Guide for District Administration for Implementation of Juvenile Justice Act 2015 and POCSO Act 2012
- iii.  Child Victims of Cyber Crime - Legal Tool Kit
- iv.  User Handbook on the POCSO Act 2012
- v.  Do's and Don'ts for Stay Safe on Internet

Since March 2020, the Commission organized different online programs for awareness generation  on  various  aspects  of  Child  sexual  abuse/  POCSO  Act/Cyber  Safety  on  its official social media platforms (face book, twitter and YouTube), which are as follows:

- i. Chairperson, NCPCR conducted a Twitter Chat in collaboration with Cyber Peace Foundation   on the subject of 'Child Online Safety during COVID 19' on 8th April 2020.
- ii. Webinar on Cyber safety- Keeping Children Safe Online (Making online schooling cyber safe) was organized on 18th May 2020.
- iii. Webinar on Cyber safety- Keeping Children Safe Online (How can school participate in cyber safety - A whole school approach in cyber safety) was organized on 19th May 2020.
- iv. Webinar on Cyber safety- Keeping Children Safe Online (Cyber safety at Home) was organized on 20th May 2020.
- v. Webinar  on  'Child  Sexual  Abuse:  Forensic  Jurisprudence  &  Role  of  Police'  was organized   29th June 2020.
- vi. Webinar on 'New Age Cyber Crime & Online Protection of Children: Challenges and Solutions' was     organized   23 rd September 2020.
- vii. Informative posters and material on following topics was circulated on social media platforms on 8 June 2020 onwards.
8.  Safe Online Learning in Times of COVID -19
9.  Cyber Bullying
10.  How to stay safe online
11.  How to prevent and counter bullying
- viii. Webinar on Forensic inputs in investigation of Sexual Offences: Scope, Challenges and Way forward, was organized on 27th November 2021.

## 2.  Benches/Camps in Aspirational districts on the issues of Child Rights:

The  Commission  organised  55  Benches/Camps  in  aspirational  districts  of  various  State/UTs during 2019-20.   With this proactive effort of taking all the stakeholders on board at district level,  the  Commission  pointed  out  a  number  of  issues  related  to  child  rights  including  child sexual  abuse  before  the  district  authorities,  concerned  officials  of    SJPU,  CWCs,  Childline, DCPO, WCD department  and SCPCRs. The Commission also heard a number of grievances during its camps in the districts. Visits, Inspection and interaction with children, was also done to understand their concerns. Reaching out at ground level is still continued,   in the year 2022, 07 Bench/Camps were organized till September in tribal districts of various States.

## 3.  Inter-departmental Review Meeting with the States/UTs:

NCPCR organized 35 online meetings with all State/UTs during October-November 2020. To fulfill the purpose a number of issues/ indicators were shortlisted to take up during the meetings with State authorities. A detailed exercise was carried out to identify indicators based on various child-related legislations. The indicators were on programmes and   provisions provided under the  key  children  related  legislations.  The  issue  of  maximum  implementation  of  POCSO  Act provisions and awareness on Child marriage cases was also covered.

## 4. Regional meetings on POCSO

During  2022,  the  Commission  organized  regional  meetings  on  'POCSO:  Factors  hindering  the Implementation and aspects of assistance to victims' in different regions of the country with an objective to build a comprehensive understanding on the implementation of the POCSO Act, 2012; discuss important aspects of assistance to POCSO victims and identify deliverables  for NCPCRs /SCPCRs .

## 5.  Cognizance on the issue of Mass Marriages on Akshay Tritiya:

The Commission has observed that Akshay Tritiya or Akha Teej has been celebrated in various parts of India as a day of good fortune and a large number of child marriages are solemnized on this day in various States of the country. In this regard, the Commission requested Principal Secretaries  of  Women  and  Child  Development  Department  of  twenty  two  States/  UTs  vide letter  dated  7th  April  2022,  to  direct  District  Magistrates/CMPOs  of  all  districts  to  conduct activities  certain  activities,  as  a  proactive  step  for  prevention  of  child  marriages.  They  were asked to conduct the following activities:

- (i)  Undertake  awareness  programmes  at  village,  panchayat,  block,  urban/ward,  zila  tehsil level:
- (ii) Conduct meetings regarding awareness programmes on Child Marriage with CDPOs, CWCs,  CWPOs,  AWWs,  religious  priests  who  may  be  responsible  for  performing marriages  and  service  providers  during  marriage  functions  such  as  printing  press, tent  providers,  managers  of  marriage  halls,  caterers,  music  bands  and  decorators etc.
- (iii)  Prepare  a  school  wise  list  of  children  who  are  drop  out,  out  of  school  and  not attending school regularly.
- (iv) Prepare  a  school  wise  list  of  children  absent  from  school  without  intimation  to  the Principal  or  Head  Master  of  the  school  in  accordance  with  Rule  2B  (2)  of  Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017.
- (v) This list must be prepared by Education Department of the district and shared with the DM/CMPO of the district.
- (vi) DM/CMPO must identify children from these lists who can be at risk of child marriage. Family counseling and proper inquiry of all such identified children must be ensured to prevent any possible child marriage.

Further, directions were also issued to District Magistrates of these States and virtual meetings were held during 21st April to 24th May, 2022 to review the status of activities conducted by the authorities of each district of the State. The participants of the meetings were as follows:

| i. Child Marriage Prohibition Officer            | v. DCPO-ICPS/Mission Vatsalya                            |
|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| (not below the rank of ADM )                     | vi District Programme Coordinator- Samgra Siksha Abhiyan |
| ii. Head of SJPU (not below the rank of DSP/ACP) | vii. CWCs                                                |
| iii. District Education Officer (DEO)            | viii. Labour officer                                     |
| iv. DPO-ICDS                                     |                                                          |

It  is  pertinent  to  mention  here,  that  every  year  the  Commission  issues  fresh  directives  to  the concerned departments of States/UTs to remain vigilant during Akshay Tritiya.

## 6. POCSO tracking portal:

The POCSO tracking portal was launched by Hon'ble Mr. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, former Chief Justice  of  India,  on  17th  July  2022.  The  tracking  portal  has  been  conceptualized  in  joint collaboration  of  National  Legal  Services  Authority  (NALSA)  and  National  Commission  for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

In pursuance of its role of monitoring the implementation of the Act, mentioned u/s 44 of POCSO Act 2012 and understanding the need of dedicated system to facilitate services to the POCSO victims, the requirement of a dedicated portal for such purpose was realized.

It is envisioned   for real time tracking of the cases of victims of child sexual abuse and facilitates them  to  provide  services  such  as  victim  compensation  and  rehabilitation  for  their  care  and protection.

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