Process of SoP to address issue of abuse in child care institutions going on: Govt to SC

The Centre Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was in the process of preparing a standard operating procedure (SoP) to address the problems of abuse and violence against children, including those living in child care institutions (CCIs) across the country.

The Centre told a bench of justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta that the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) was in the process of making the SoP and in the meantime, an interim advisory has been issued to all the states and union territories in this regard.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre, also told the court that the first draft of the child protection policy would be ready in December.

The bench asked the government to circulate the first draft of the child protection policy among the parties in the matter pending before it so that they could give their suggestions.

The court was also informed that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which is conducting social audit of CCIs, has submitted an interim report to the government regarding work done in 10 states and sharing of report with regard to other 12 states was under process.

The counsel appearing for NCPCR told the bench that some states have not yet given the details of CCIs there.

The bench said states should ensure that registration of CCIs was complete within two weeks.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing in second week of January.

The apex court had earlier said that "things are not all that good" while referring to rising incidents of abuse of children and women at shelter homes and had asked the Centre to put in concerted efforts to deal with the situation.

It had also observed that existing mechanism was "not adequate" to curb incidents of sexual and physical abuse of children and girls at shelter homes and had asked the MWCD to apprise it on the formulation of a child protection policy.