Child Protection in India: Examining Institutional Governance and Legal Frameworks Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in Light of Global Commitments

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Child Protection; Institutional Governance; POCSO Act, 2012; Legal Accountability; Inter-Agency Coordination

Abstract

Ensuring effective institutional frameworks for child protection in India remains a pressing challenge, particularly in the context of aligning national legislation with international commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This study critically examines the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, focusing on the compliance obligations of educational institutions, healthcare providers, and corporate entities within the broader framework of sustainability, equity, and ethics. The research explores the challenges institutions face in implementing victim-sensitive policies, maintaining accountability, and bridging policy-practice gaps. The need for this study is underscored by persistent shortcomings in enforcement mechanisms, stakeholder coordination, and capacity-building efforts, which hinder the realization of a child-centric institutional framework. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive legal assessment of institutional accountability through the lens of sustainability and ethical governance. Adopting a doctrinal methodology, the study critically analyzes legislative provisions, judicial precedents, and policy frameworks to propose actionable recommendations. The findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable institutional governance, emphasizing the importance of legal accountability, inter-sectoral collaboration, and policy coherence in advancing child protection in India within an interconnected global context.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Meha Bhushan
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/06/14
TI  - Child Protection in India: Examining Institutional Governance and Legal Frameworks Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in Light of Global Commitments
BT  - Proceedings of Innovative Multidisciplinary Approaches to Global Challenges: Sustainability, Equity, and Ethics in an Interconnected World (IMASEE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 295
EP  - 311
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_14
ID  - Bhushan2025
ER  -