Child Welfare Police Officer

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Key updates-

• Acting on an advisory issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Home Ministry referred to provisions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which calls for designating at least one officer, not below the rank of an Assistant Sub-Inspector, CWPO in every police station.
• The Home Ministry said the Commission had further requested that a Special Juvenile Police Unit in each district and city headed by an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police be established.
• The unit would comprise CWPOs and two social workers having experience of working in the field of child welfare, of whom one shall be a woman, to co-ordinate all functions of police in relation to children. 
• The contact particulars of the CWPOs should be displayed in all police stations for the public to contact.
• Ministry also referred to provisions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2016, which prescribed specific roles for CWPOs and the Special Juvenile Police Unit in cases of child rights violations.

Crimes against children in India-

• The advisory comes in the backdrop of increasing number of crimes against children, including murders and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 
• Going by the data published by the National Crime Records Bureau, the total number of crimes against children increased from 1,28,531 in 2020 to 1,49,404 in 2021.
• While Madhya Pradesh topped the country with 19,173 cases, Uttar Pradesh stood second with 16,838 cases.
• A total of 1,402 children were murdered in 1,279 cases reported across the country. 
• More than one lakh cases of kidnapping and abduction involving aroun 1 lakh children were reported in 2021. 
• Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh topped the list in these cases.

Further reading: https://journalsofindia.com/the-juvenile-justice-care-and-protection-of-children-act-2015/

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