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Item UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC(TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND CHILD RIGHTS AND YOU-CRY, 2020) Duggal, Chetna; Konantambigi, Rajani; Chakrabarti, Trina; Muhuri, Anupama; Vernekar, Durga; Chakrabarti, JogyaThe Coronavirus outbreak has heralded a mental health crisis across the globe. The developmental needs of children and adolescents intensify the challenges faced by them in understanding and coping with the pandemic, making them one of the vulnerable population segments at greater risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Moreover, widespread school closure and home confinement measures have rendered certain factors crucial for healthy childhood development inaccessible. While the world has been recognising the enhanced psychosocial vulnerability of children during this global health crisis, research capturing children’s experience of the same in India is critically limited.Item UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2021) Duggal, Chetna; Konantambigi, Rajani; Muhuri, Anupama; Chakrabarti, Trina; Vernekar, Durga; Chakravorty, JogyaThe study used quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data was obtained on the stressors experienced by children and the psychological impact of the pandemic. Resiliency among children was explored through qualitative questions. Data was collected by trained volunteers of the CRY team through in-person interviews, phone interviews, paper pencil forms, and Google forms in English as well as in regional languages to cater to the diversity of participants. Data collection was carried out from December 2020 to January 2021, when the national lockdown had eased.Item Legal Analysis of Schedule Containing the List of Hazardous and Non-Hazardous occupati ons and Processes of the Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibiti on and Regulati on) Act, 1986(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2020-10) Sapkal, Rahul; Ghosh, Shreya; Mahara, PritiThis report examines the evolution and emerging trends in the child labour legislation in India after its enactment. It aims to study and provide a comprehensive overview of the policy making process that delineates hazardous and non-hazardous processes and occupations through a detailed examination of Environmental Protection Act, 1986 and the Factories Act, 1948. It also discusses and builds a case for giving preference to the Environment Protection Act, 1986 Act while preparing the schedule for listing hazardous and non-hazardous processes and occupations in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, instead of Factories Act, 1948. It further discusses the issues related to departmental convergence, decision-making, enforcement process at the ground level and suggests policy reforms at the macro level. On the basis of the discussions it suggests a plausible policy method for identifying and classifying work under hazardous and non-hazardous occupations from the perspective of children. The last section of the report provides a comprehensive overview of segmented working conditions as documented in various policy briefs, reports and academic literature.Item mpact of COVID-19 on Child Protection in India and Its Budgetary Implications(Child Rights and You (CRY) and Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), 2021) Kundu, Protiva'Child Protection' refers to prevention of and response to violence, exploitation and abuse of children in all contexts. This includes reaching out to children who are most vulnerable to such threats, such as those living without family care, on the streets, or in situations of conict or natural 1 disasters. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequities and 2 vulnerabilities of children. Owing to disruptions in 3 4 education, health-nutrition and protection 5 services over the last one year, the vulnerabilities of children from rural areas and marginalised communities have compounded. The shortcomings in child protection services need to be identied and resolved to address children's vulnerabilities. This can be achieved by enhancing the focus on preventive measures, increasing public provisioning and human resources, and strengthening convergence among various sectors such as education, health, and nutrition which are basic to child rights. In this context, this policy brief attempts to examine some major challenges related to the overall functioning of child protection systems from a policy and budgeting perspective. It also analyses how the vulnerabilities of children were aggravated during the pandemic as reected in rising instances of child marriage, child trafcking, and child labour. The signicance of care and protection of children orphaned and abandoned during the pandemic, par ticularly noninstitutional care is also highlighted alongside a brief discussion of good practices by various state governments in this direction. Based on a situational analysis, the brief offers a set of policy recommendations, some of which can be implemented in the upcoming Union and state budgets. However, the focus of policy planning and budgetary allocations should go far beyond addressing issues arising from the pandemic alone.Item Cyber-safety of Children during Covid-19 and Beyo(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2021-09) Grewal, Japreet; Ghosh, Shreya; Mahara, PritiThis policy brief aims to provide a conceptual understanding of the most pressing cyber-safety issues affecting children in India and makes recommendations for improving the current policy landscape in the country to more effectively address these problems. The objective here is not to take a position as favouring or opposing children’s use of internet but to contribute to a better understanding of how this medium can be made a part of children’s lives in a safer way. With children’s lives increasingly turning virtual as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic measures whether it is learning or leisure, it is imperative that the significance of digital technologies is integrated in the policy priorities for children’s safety.Item A Comparative Analysis of State Rules under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2020) Salunke, KishoriThe Prohibition of child marriage act, 2006 is the key legislation dealing with the marriage of persons under the age of 18 (if female) and 21 (if male). Section 19(1) of the Act empowers state government to make rules for carrying out the Provisions of the act. the objective of this report is to analyse all the state rules notified under the provisions of child marriage act 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the the said act act or the act. the research aims to analyse the various provisions of the state rules in the the comparison with each other as also to seek a common threadItem COVID-19 and Child Labour in India: Challenges and Way Forward(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2020) Mahara, Priti; Ghosh, ShreyaThe rapid spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the developed countries of the Global North and the low and middle-income countries of the Global South aested to the fact that the this pandemic is one of the greatest levelers. It has led to a rise in death tolls, disrupted trade, mobility and livelihood of millions of workers across the world. It has exposed the strengths and weaknesses of health infrastructure as well as social security systems of both developed and developing countries. However, the pandemic has disproporonately affected low and middle income countries, and even more so when it comes to the poor. As compared to developed countries, the mul-layered vulnerability and deprivaon of poorer households, with the least financial capacity, without access to work, income and food has induced distress in developing countries like India (ILO 2020)i. As a result, the economic and labour market shocks have had a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.Item Combating Child MarriageDuring Covid-19 And Beyond(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2020) Mahara, Priti; Pande, Nupur; Ghosh, ShreyaThe practice of child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and patriarchal social norms that are further perpetuated by gaps in policy and programmes on education, health and nutrition, child protection and poverty alleviation. This practice therefore tends to affect children from marginalised communities the most. Children are not a homogenous group and the impact of child marriage on boys and girls differ. For boys, marriage brings with it adult responsibilities which they may not be prepared for. Early fatherhood might create further economic pressure in the form of providing for the household as well as risk limiting boys’ access to education, skills and future employment opportunities. In the case of girls, the implications of marriage on girls’ education, safety, overall health and well-being are higher than that for boysi. Adolescent girls from marginalised communities, tend to face dual marginalisation of gender based discriminatory practices and economic insecurity. This complex interplay of factors can only be answered when the root causes are addressed, attitudinal changes are brought in regarding the role and value of the girl child in society and firm implementation of the laws, policies and programmes pertaining to Child Marriage. Empowering the girl child by equipping her with knowledge, building her agency and encouraging her participation in decision-making from the personal to the political, and control over resources is instrumental to achieving gender equality. This necessitates a multi-pronged intervention over a sustained period, with diverse stakeholders including boys and girls, their families and communities, and the system from local to national levels.Item Status And Decadal Trends of Child Marriage In India(Child Rights and You (CRY), 2020) Jayaram, Veena; Sharma, Varun; Kota, Lakshmi; Mahara, PritiChild Marriage is one of the most prevalent social and legal crimes in India and the potential of its impact on children can be life-long, with irreversible effects to their health, education, opportunities and lives. It renders children and adolescents vulnerable to violence and poverty-traps, and severely impairs their overall development. It is a phenomenon that has chronic intergenerational effects that compromise the well-being of not only the direct victims of early marriage, but also their future generations. Child marriage directly affects the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals.Item ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL OFFENCES (POCSO) ACT(CRY - Child Rights & You, 2016) Raha, Swagata; Giliyal, Anuroopa iyal; Sajjanshetty, GeetaThe Act was enacted to protect children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography and to provide a child-friendly system for the trial of these offences. Data from a study undertaken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on ‘Child Abuse’ in 2007 had revealed that 53.22% of children had faced one or more forms of sexual abuse.Item Flawed Child Labour Law Amendment(CRY - Child Rights & You, 2016) Ganotra, KomalBy institutionalising child labour in family-based occupations under the age of 14 years and permitting the employment of children in many hazardous occupations, India has failed its children.Item Crime Against Children in India(CRY - Child Rights & You, 2016) Child Rights & You, CRYIn year 2015 and 2016, Crime against children in India has increased by a sharp 11% as freshly released NCRB data suggests. Going by absolute numbers, it’s an increase of 12,786 reported crimes against children across the country. The total number of crimes against children report edin 2016 is 106958, while 94172 crimes were record edin 2015.Item Developing a new perspective on Child Labour Exploring the aftermath of Mumbai raids conducted from 2008 onwards(CRY - Child Rights & You, 2014) Child Rights & You, CRYRecent estimates reveal that world over, 218 million children are involved in child labour, of which about 126 million children are engaged in hazardous situations such as working in mines, working with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture or working with dangerous machinery. Newspaper reports reveal that government statistics on the child labour population show that India has over 20 million child labourers. NGO estimates are higher and these suggest that this number is as high as 60 million and can extend upto a 100 million if all out of school children are part of the labour force.Item Childescents in India: We are children too(CRY - Child Rights & You, 2018) M, SangeetaThis report ia the result of a special journey undertaken by CRY in the recent years which has been bought tough and rewarding. This report is dedicated to these children who appear seemingly invisible as children to the society at large.Item OUR ASPIRATIONS FROM OUR GOVERNMENT(CRY - Child Rights & You, 2017) Child Rights & You, CRYThis document is an attempt by CRY to capture children’s aspirations from across the country - with the hope that it leaves an impact in the minds of those who can help turn them into reality – political leaders, policy makers and even citizen voters.