Vulnerable Sections: Children

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNICEF) a child is defined as a person male or female who is below 18 years of age. They are most vulnerable section.
According to the Census 2011, there were 10.1 million child labourers in India.
National Crime Records Bureau Report (NCRB) 2022, highlights that in 2021, around 982 cases were registered under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, with the highest number of cases registered in Telangana, followed by Assam.

Child Abuse: Two out of every three children were physically abused. 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse (MoWCD study in 2007).
High levels of malnutrition and associated gender disparity: The recent UNICEF-WHO-WB Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates stated that in 2020, 18.7 % of Indian children were affected by Wasting caused by poor nutrient intake.
Poor learning outcomes: Only 42.5 % of children in grade three can read a grade one text.
Child Marriages: India is home to the highest number (one-third of the world) of child brides in the world.
Drop-out rate of students: The all-India average dropout rate of primary students is 4.13 per cent while it is 17.06 per cent in the secondary levels (Educational Statistics at a Glance, 2018).
Cyber bullying: As per 2019 UNICEF U-Report poll, one in three children in India reported that they experienced cyberbullying.
Child Pornography: At least 25,000 images of child sexual abuse are uploaded every day from India (U.S. National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children).
Child Labours: There are around 12.9 million child labourers in India (ILO,2016). The number of child labourers in India is 10.1 million as per the census of 2011.
COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated four other existing pandemics: Malnutrition, poverty, violence, and mental health issues.

Article – 21 A – The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age 6- 14 years.
Article – 24 – Prohibits employment of Children below the age of 14 years in any factory or mine or in any other hazardous activity.
Article – 45 – The State shall endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years.
Article – 243G – Provides for institutionalisation of childcare by seeking to entrust programmes of women and child development to Panchayat (item 25 of Schedule 11).
Article – 39(f) – Directs that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.

The Integrated Child Protection Scheme: ICPS brings together multiple existing child protection schemes under one comprehensive umbrella, and integrates additional interventions for protecting children and preventing harm.
National Health Mission: Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent (RMNCH+A) Strategy of NHM comprehensively integrates interventions that improve child health and nutrition status and addresses factors contributing to neonatal, infant, under-five mortality and malnutrition.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: Aimed at the universalisation of primary education “in a time bound manner.
Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat: It is a sub-programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to improve comprehensive early reading, writing and early mathematics programmes for children in Classes I and II.
Mid-Day Meal: To enhance the enrollment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improve nutritional levels among school going children studying in Classes I to VIII.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.