Ministry of Women and Child Development asks States/UTs to link all registered Child Care Institutions (CCIs) to Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAAs) within one month

New Delhi: To address the grave concerns that has come to notice, through media reports, that some organizations have been propagating illegal adoption outside the domain of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, which is tantamount to child trafficking, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has instructed that all the State Govts/UTs should ensure that all the registered Child Care institutions, whether run by a State Government or by voluntary or non-governmental organizations, are linked to Specialized Adoption Agencies and are reflected in  the online portal CARINGS within one month.  This applies to all CCIs which are meant, either wholly or partially, for housing children in need of care and protection or children in conflict with law,

Further for speedy execution, State Govt/UTs have also been asked to publish this direction in the local newspaper to ensure compliance by the institutions within the stipulated period, failing which action may be taken against the non-complying institutions.

 State Govts/UT have also been asked to issue instructions for conducting inspection of all homes run by Missionaries of Charity and also identify all potential institutions/organizations which could be involved in unlawful activities. Conduction of timely inspections of the Institutions, as per the provisions of Section 54 of the Act, has also been advised.

 Besides in order to check the illegal adoptions, State Govt/UTs have been asked to keep a close watch on  the maternity hospitals and other facilities, which may also act as potential places for illegal and child trafficking. A Status report has been asked from the States/UTs by 31.07.2018

A Background note:

          Section 41 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 mandates that all institutions, whether run by a State Government or by voluntary or non-governmental organizations, which are meant, either wholly or partially, for housing children in need of care and protection or children in conflict with law, shall be registered under the Act. And, Section 65 of the Act mandates the State Government for recognizing one or more institutions or organizations in each district as a Specialized Adoption Agency(SAA) for the rehabilitation of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through adoption and non-institutional care.  The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 recognizes the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) as the nodal agency for promoting and regulating in-country and inter-country adoptions, which is being facilitated through an online portal (CARINGS).

Following is the state wise status of Registration of 7,800 CCIs in the country as reported by States/UTs upto 16.03.2018