UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY FUND
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. We have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes us unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young. We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity. We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future. We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children. We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished, because it is wrong for a child to suffer or die from a preventable illness.
CHILDLINE INDIA FOUNDATION (CIF)
CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) is the central nodal agency for the replication of the CHILDLINE service. It was established on 28th May 1999 and registered under the Society's Registration Act of 1960 and the Bombay Public Trust Act of 1890. In essence CIF sets up a single window framework through a tele-helpline service - CHILDLINE 1098 - which can be accessed easily by any child. CIF is the parent organisation for the CHILDLINE network now functional in 291 cities. Its role includes systematic preparatory activity in a city/district before the initiation of the CHILDLINE service, close monitoring of the CHILDLINE service after its initiation, research on areas related to child protection based on calls received by CHILDLINE, Communications and Strategic Initiatives on issues related to child protection.
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (ICDS)
The Main object of the ICDS Programme is to provide adequate Nutrition to the economically downtrodden to combat Mal Nutrition among the Children, increasing their Literacy rate and to act as a potent incentive for increasing the enrolment to School and reducing dropout from Schools. The Scheme, ICDS started in Tirunelveli District in the year 1984. Now there are 2562 Anganwadi Centres are functioning in this district which are serving Noon-Meal and Pre-School activities covering the age group of 25-60 months and also AN/PN mothers old age pensioners and Adolesent Girls.
CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY (CARA)
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter- country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003. CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies.
THE INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME (ICPS)
The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at building a protective environment for children in difficult circumstances, as well as other vulnerable children, through Government-Civil Society Partnership. The Objectives are: ICPS brings together multiple existing child protection schemes of the Ministry under one comprehensive umbrella, and integrates additional interventions for protecting children and preventing harm. ICPS, therefore, would institutionalize essential services and strengthen structures, enhance capacities at all levels, create database and knowledge base for child protection services, strengthen child protection at family and community level, ensure appropriate inter-sectoral response at all levels.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC CORPORATION & CHILD DEVELOPMENT (NIPCCD)
National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, popularly known as NIPCCD, is a premier organisation devoted to promotion of voluntary action research, training and documentation in the overall domain of women and child development. The Institute functions as an apex institution for training functionaries of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme. As a nodal resource agency, it has also been entrusted with the responsibility of training and capacity building of functionaries at the national and regional level, under the new scheme of Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS). It has also been designated, by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the nodal institution for imparting training on two important issues of Child Rights and Prevention of trafficking of women & children for SAARC countries
STATE COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 as a statutory body under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 (4 of 2006), an Act of Parliament (December 2005). It was set up to protect, promote and defend child rights in the country.The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) emphasises the principle of universality and inviolability of child rights and recognises the tone of urgency in all the child related policies of the country. For the Commission, protection of all children in the 0 to 18 years age group is of equal importance. Thus, policies define priority actions for the most vulnerable children. This includes focus on regions that are backward or on communities or children under certain circumstances, and so on. The NCPCR believes that while in addressing only some children, there could be a fallacy of exclusion of many vulnerable children who may not fall under the defined or targeted categories. In its translation into practice, the task of reaching out to all children gets compromised and a societal tolerance of violation of child rights continues.