Child Welfare Committees

Child Welfare Committees

Subject : Governance

Context :The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection Amendment) Model Amendment Rules,2022, were notified on September 1 and came into effect immediately. This follows the passage of the Juvenile Justice (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Parliament in July last year.

Concept :

• The recently amended rules for implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, bar a person associated with an organisation receiving foreign funds to be part of child welfare committees (CWCs), which are tasked with giving directions for care and protection of children who are abused, exploited, abandoned or orphaned.

Child Welfare Committees (CWCs):

• The State Governments set up these committees in districts in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
• The Committees have the power to dispose of cases for the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of the children in need of care and protection, as well as to provide for their basic needs and protection.
• It provides that a person will not eligible to be a member of the CWC if he/she
  • has any record of violation of human rights or child rights,
  • has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude,
  • has been removed or dismissed from service of the central government, or any state government, or a government undertaking,
  • is part of the management of a child care institution in a district.
• Removal of Members: The appointment of any member of the committee shall be terminated by the state government after an inquiry if they fail to attend the proceedings of the CWCs consecutively for three months without any valid reason or if they fail to attend less than three-fourths of the sittings in a year.