Investing in early childhood is necessary to uphold the right of every child to survive and thrive. The Global Strategy for Women’s Children’s and Adolescents’ Health is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals. Its vision is a world where they realize their rights to health and well-being both physical and mental, having social and economic opportunities, and to participate fully in shaping prosperous and sustainable societies. Most importantly young children’s human rights guarantee them the conditions they need to survive and thrive. One of their shared targets is to ensure that all boys and girls have access to quality early childhood development (SDG target 4.2).

Cost of Inaction:

• While children living in extreme poverty and those in conditions of conflict, disaster or displacement are at greatest risk, children all over the world may be exposed to adversities that impair their optimal development without intervention; adults affected by adversity in early childhood are estimated to earn almost a third less than the average adult income in their country.
• These individual costs add up, constraining wealth creation and national earnings.
• Lack of investment in early childhood development, and addressing the long-term consequences, are estimated to cost countries more than what they spend today on health (WHO).

Child Rights:

The Declaration of the Child Rights was adopted by the General Assembly on 20th November 1959. Thirty years later, the world leaders recognized that children should have human rights of exclusive manner and for that they need a Charter.

• The Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989) is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights – civil, cultural economic, political and social rights within child rights.
• It spells out those basic human rights that every child should have wherever he/she may live; the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

1. Being the signatory of the UNRC, India has globally recognized the Child Rights as binding constraint.
2. After ratification of the UNCRC in 1992, India changed its law on juvenile justice [Juvenile & Justice (Care & Protection) Act, 2000] to ensure that every person below the age of 18 years of age, who is in need of care of protection, is entitled to receive it from the state.
3. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. Ensuring all laws, policies, programs and administrative mechanisms in consonance with the Child Rights perspective, became the Commission’s responsibility.
4. Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009.
5. NCPCR Guidelines for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in School 2010.
6. Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.

• The Constitution of India, as of now, guarantees all the Children certain rights which include:

1. Right to free and compulsory elementary education for all children between the age group 6-14 years (Article 21A)
2. Right to be protected from any hazardous employment till the age of 14 years (Article 24)
3. Right to be protected from being abused and forced by economic necessity to enter occupation unsuited to their age or strength [Article 39(e)]
4. Right to equal opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in condition of freedom and dignity and guaranteed protection of childhood and youth against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment [Article 39(f)]

Way forward:

• It can be a good exercise and learning experience for the policy makers in India to go through the recommendations of the child abuse study 2007.
• India is going digital, children have easy access to all kinds of information on line. Health professionals dealing with children and adolescents strongly feel that it is high time all children and adolescents should be given age appropriate sex education at home and in school.
• A new set of guidelines have been issued that bans corporal punishment in government as well as private schools.
• NCPCR is the monitoring body for the corporal punishment in schools. NCPCR has come out with a complaint box for reporting abuse on its website to complain on line.
• Health issues continue to be a concern for our economy and environmental degradation due to industrialization and other economic development and pollution lead to a further deterioration in child’s health. Immunization is another indicator which ensures child’s right to life through its early preventive plan of action.
• The growth pattern in health indices show regional diversification and unbalanced development. The Constitution lays adequate emphasis regarding the duties of States with respect to Health Care.
• National Health Policy should have clear and separate focus for children. Their problems should not be clubbed with mothers of babies.
• Each of the states should have their own plans and visions for Child Health. Child education is often involved with another social curse, i.e., Child Labour.
• Abuse is another kind of right violating activity which impedes the mental growth of children. POCSO Act 2012 is a step forward in creating child sensitive jurisprudence but needs proper implementation. Sex education to adolescent children is another important component which deserves much spotlight and attention.
• Development and behavioral pediatrics services should be made available in the government teaching institutions so that parents of such children do not have to run from pillar to post to get the services.
• Children of sex workers need special social security from the state to look after their educational and other development needs.
• There is need to bring single laws to address the need of issues on public health. If women empowerment can be created, most of the things will take care of themselves.
• Mindsets will have to be changed; RKSK (Rashtriya Kanya Swasthya Karyakram) can empower the Adolescent girl in many ways.
• Increasing suicide rate among adolescents is a serious concern. There comes the role of parents, teachers mental health professionals and policy makers in education.

Adolescence is a critical window of opportunity for promoting and supporting care before pregnancy. The best interventions can delay pregnancy and ensure preparedness for it. These can help mothers, by allowing them to complete school, as well as helping children, by minimizing the probability that they will have low birth weight or stunting.