The Tier 3 ranking places Afghanistan among a small group of countries where governments or de facto authorities demonstrate a policy or pattern of trafficking or related exploitation, including the recruitment of child soldiers.
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act still uses the term “child pornography” for child sexual abuse material – an outdated phrasing that can minimise the gravity of the crime.
Violence against children emerged as another pressing issue. The committee raised alarms over sexual violence, particularly against boys, gender-based violence, corporal punishment, and online abuse.
Many experts emphasise the need for conditional cash transfer programmes, improved rural schooling, transportation support for students, and vocational training initiatives to ensure that families are not forced to choose between survival and education.
With student suicides rising and mental-health challenges deepening, India stands at a critical juncture. Whether schools, policymakers, and families respond with urgency – or continue to treat emotional distress as an afterthought – may determine the fate of millions of young people across the country.
Justice Madan Lokur, Chairperson of the United Nations’ Internal Justice Council and former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, emphasised the need for meaningful access to justice for children—as victims, as accused, and as those in need of care and protection, in all their avatars.
The orientation program is part of NLUO’s commitment to creating Child-Friendly Communities, and it marks a milestone in Project Kutumb’s mission to foster safer environments for vulnerable and at-risk children.
The UN appeal comes at a moment when humanitarian funding is already stretched by multiple crises. While CERF has provided rapid support, broader donor commitments remain insufficient relative to the scale of projected need.
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.
The UN appeal comes at a moment when humanitarian funding is already stretched by multiple crises. While CERF has provided rapid support, broader donor commitments remain insufficient relative to the scale of projected need.