Arunachal child rights panel reports 26,000 cases disposed, 2,300 children rescued in 6 months

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has said that it disposed of nearly 26,000 cases and rescued more than 2,300 children across the country in the past six months, underscoring the scale of child protection challenges in India. 

Division head for Juvenile Justice, POCSO and special cells, Paresh Shah, stressed that child rights violations are “not mere statistics,” noting that each case reflects the story of a child and a family whose future depends on timely intervention by authorities.

Shah, speaking at a state-level conference on gaps and challenges in implementing key child rights legislations held in Arunachal Pradesh recently, said that while both the Central and state governments are committed to safeguarding every child in the state, strong laws alone are insufficient without robust monitoring, widespread awareness and coordinated enforcement. He said the Commission had, during the same period, also repatriated more than 1,000 children to their home districts, supported by newly introduced technology-driven systems at NCPCR.

Looking ahead, Shah said the Commission’s priorities include mental health support for children, deployment of AI tools to combat Child Sexual Abuse Material and new strategies to address on-ground challenges in implementing child protection laws. 

He emphasised that fulfilling the government’s commitments to child rights requires shared responsibility among officials, school authorities, law-enforcement agencies and civil society groups. Continuous capacity building, citizen awareness and regular training for frontline workers, he noted, are essential to strengthen child safety systems.

Arunachal Pradesh SCPCR chairperson Ratan Anya presented an assessment of the state’s child protection landscape, flagging several gaps in safety, monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Referring to recent incidents in the state, she said these revealed “critical weaknesses” despite a strong legal framework, pointing to challenges in POCSO investigations, limited awareness among stakeholders, inadequate measures against child trafficking and child labour, weak enforcement of anti-tobacco provisions under COTPA and poor monitoring of residential schools.

Anya urged NCPCR to conduct more awareness campaigns and recommended that the Education Department undertake sustained audits of schools. State Education Commissioner Amzad Tatak called on district officials to take school safety norms seriously and carry out audits as mandated in the NCPCR manual on safety and security of children in schools. 

He said a task force headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu had been constituted to strengthen child rights mechanisms within the school system, describing the conference as a timely intervention addressing pressing concerns.