Child Protection Committees to be set up in all 5,633 schools by July-end

Child Protection Committees will be constituted in all 5,633 schools across Delhi by the end of July, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed at a high-level review meeting at Raj Niwas on Monday.

In the meeting, they assessed the implementation of initiatives being carried out as part of the ongoing Child Protection Month and directed that measures adopted this month must become permanent features of all institutions rather than a one-time campaign.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Commissioner of Police, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Women and Child Development, directors of both departments, the DCP SPUWAC, and senior officials across departments.

The context for Child Protection Month is a review meeting chaired by the LG on June 17, 2026, where it was decided to designate July as Child Protection Month. Since then, the Education Department, Delhi Police, and the Department of Women and Child Development have been running parallel initiatives across the city.

The Education Department informed the meeting that a comprehensive student safety checklist, in line with the guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and the POCSO Act, is being implemented across all 5,633 schools in Delhi.

These cover 1,077 Delhi Government schools, 198 Government-aided schools, 2,612 MCD, NDMC, and Delhi Cantonment Board schools, and 1,746 private schools. Teachers, school staff, and master trainers are being trained under POCSO Act provisions. Around 1,000 Educational and Vocational Guidance Counsellors are currently conducting awareness sessions for students on safe and unsafe touch, gender sensitisation, and personal boundaries. Self-defence training is also being provided. Special arrangements are being made for children with special needs.

Child Protection Committees have already been constituted in all Delhi Government schools. The direction issued on Monday extends this requirement to all 5,633 schools, including private, aided, and municipal schools, by the end of July.

Delhi Police told the meeting that special initiatives are underway for school children, missing children, children in parks and sports complexes, homeless children, children in JJ clusters, those at Bal Bhawan, and children living in orphanages and Child Care Institutions. An Additional DCP has been designated as the nodal officer for child safety in every district, reporting to the DCP SPUWAC. Schools are conducting awareness programmes covering the POCSO Act, school safety guidelines, cyber safety, bullying, and drug abuse.

The Department of Women and Child Development presented a large-scale POCSO awareness campaign plan covering Anganwadi-cum-Palna Centres and all Child Care Institutions. Awareness will be targeted at children, their parents, and the wider community through videos, mobile awareness vans, and printed material.

The LG and CM directed that joint inspection teams comprising parent representatives, Education Department officials, Women and Child Development representatives, Delhi Police, and school heads be constituted to inspect all schools.

Delhi Police was directed to ensure prompt and coordinated action in every POCSO case registered. The meeting also directed that first-time juvenile offenders receive counselling and rehabilitation support for reintegration into society.