IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILD PROTECTION LAWS IN INDIA: A STUDY OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT, 2015

Child protection continues to be among the most important concerns in relation to the law and society in India, primarily because of their susceptibility to abuse, exploitation, neglect, abandonment, and various other
kinds of maltreatment. To ensure that the process of enhancing child protection initiatives takes place successfully, several noteworthy steps have
been taken by the Indian legal framework, the application of which has led to numerous accomplishments in the field in question. One such step is the adoption of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015, which is an example of a very innovative legislative measure. This act provides for the implementation of the concept of welfare, which involves the adequate care, protection, development, and rehabilitation of needy children through a legislative and institutional foundation. Nevertheless,
even in the presence of such a well-developed legal mechanism, there is no denying the fact that the implementation of the Act still suffers from several
obstacles, which ultimately makes it less effective.
The current research will conduct an analysis of the functioning of the institutions, namely, Child Welfare Committees, District Child Protection
Units, and Child Care Institutions, each of which plays a vital role in protecting and rehabilitating children. The article further discusses the challenges like decision-making delays, coordination problems between various organizations, lack of proper infrastructure facilities etc as well as socio economic challenges respectively. The research further examines the gap that exists between the legislative framework of the act and the practical
reality. Further it concludes by giving some recommendations.