(a) whether the Government in coordination with the State, has taken concrete steps to prevent crimes such as foeticide, infanticide, human trafficking and child marriage and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government is contemplating to formulate any plan for the rehabilitation of victims of traffacking and child marriage in coordination with the States;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the amount allocated by the Government for the rehabilitation of such people?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a) to (c) : The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing the centrally sponsored ‘Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme’ for rehabilitation of children in difficult circumstances. Under CPS scheme, financial assistance is provided to the State Governments/UT Governments for providing services which include institutional care, non-institutional care, and support for capacity building, human resources etc. The Government is committed to provide security net of statutory and service delivery structures to the children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law.
The Ministry of Women & Child Development implements Ujjawala scheme for combating trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation, with five specific components – Prevention, Rescue, Rehabilitation, Re-Integration and Repatriation of victims of trafficking. The scheme has been conceived primarily for the purpose of preventing trafficking on the one hand and rescue and rehabilitation of victims on the other. The scheme provides for rehabilitation of victims by providing food, shelter, counseling, medical care, legal aid and vocational training as well as their re-integration in the society. There are 107 Protective and Rehabilitative Homes in the country.
The Ministry has also enacted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 with the objective to prohibit child marriages rather than only restraining them. The Act prohibits the solemnization of child marriages where a person who, if a female has not completed 18 years of age and if a male has not completed 21 years of age. As per provisions of the Act, child marriage is a cognizable and non-bailable offence. Further, the Ministry undertakes awareness exercise for safety and security of women and children from time to time including on the matters of child marriages and human trafficking.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is committed towards improving the Child Sex Ratio and is tirelessly working towards accelerating the progress towards reaching a healthy sex-ratio at birth. With a view to address the issue of Sex selection/ determination leading to female foeticide, Government of India enacted the Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 (PC & PNDT Act 1994) for the prohibition of sex selection before or after conception, and for regulation of diagnostic techniques potential of sex selection/ determination and prevention of their misuse for sex determination/ selection. Further, Government of India has adopted a multi-pronged strategy entailing schemes and programmes for awareness generation and advocacy measures to build a positive environment for the girl child through gender sensitive policies, provisions and legislation.
As informed by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), various activities and programmes have been undertaken to prevent crimes on child trafficking and child marriages such as, sensitization workshops in various Source Transit and Destination Hotspot Districts of North-East Region, “National Level Multi-stakeholders E-Consultation Meeting to Combat Child Trafficking Post Lockdown Situation due to COVID-19” virtually on 8th May 2020, programme called “Samvardhan” meant for mapping of children and their families vulnerable to child trafficking post lockdown situation due to Covid-19 pandemic, NCPCR and Young Lives India released National Analysis of Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy’ based on NFHS-4 (2015-16) on 11th September 2018, etc.
(d) : The grant released to States/UTs during the current year under Child Protection Services Scheme - Mission Vatsalya for providing institutional care, non-institutional care, and also rehabilitation of children in difficult circumstances is Rs.567.86 Crores (as on 23.03.2022).
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