Delhi’s child rights body left defunct for months as key positions stay vacant

New Delhi: The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), a crucial statutory body responsible for safeguarding children’s welfare, has been largely inactive for nearly nine months due to vacant leadership positions and lack of operational staff.

Since July 2023, when the tenure of the last chairperson ended, the commission has been unable to carry out essential duties, including reporting on cases of child abuse, conducting studies on missing children, and overseeing measures to curb child labor. With no chairperson or staff in place, the organisation has been reduced to a non-functional entity.

“The commission plays a vital role in monitoring cases of child abuse, missing children, and child labor, but its prolonged inactivity is concerning,” said a former government official. “Without leadership, key interventions are being delayed, leaving vulnerable children without support.”

Legal intervention and bureaucratic delays

The issue was brought to the forefront when the National Child Development Council (NCDC) filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court in May 2024. The PIL highlighted that the commission’s inability to function was endangering the safety and rights of children across the city.

Following this, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government, and DCPCR, seeking immediate action to fill the vacancies. However, the process has faced bureaucratic delays, with officials citing the Model Code of Conduct as a reason for not issuing advertisements to recruit new members. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 16.

A former member of the commission expressed frustration over the delays, stating, “This is not the first time DCPCR has remained non-functional. Between 2015 and 2017, the commission was headless for nearly 18 months. The recruitment process should be streamlined to prevent such disruptions in the future.”

Impact on child protection mechanisms

With DCPCR unable to function, critical issues such as tracing missing children, conducting rescue operations, and monitoring juvenile

justice cases have been left to the police and non-governmental organisations. Child rights activists have raised concerns that without an operational watchdog, many vulnerable children are at risk of slipping through the cracks.

“The delay in appointing a chairperson and staff is directly impacting child protection efforts,” said a representative from a child welfare NGO. “DCPCR is supposed to act as a bridge between the government and law enforcement to ensure children’s rights are upheld. Without it, cases of missing children and child labor go unchecked.”

Relatives of missing children have also voiced their disappointment. “My neighbour’s child has been missing for over a year, and earlier, DCPCR would assist in tracking

such cases,” said a woman from Kalkaji. “Now, all we can do is wait for police updates, which come rarely.”

With a new government in place, child rights organisations and concerned citizens are urging immediate action to revive the commission.