‘Invisible-Child’ is every child standing beyond the last child.
As such present, but not on the radar of the Government, Stakeholders and Policymakers. They include (but are not restricted to) children of brick-kiln workers, construction workers, child bondage labor, commercial sex workers, third-gender and transgender children, children with mental disorders, children into commercial sex as customary practice and trade, children of migrant workers and victims of child marriage. Children residing in the bordering districts and bordering states of India. It also includes children from marginalized communities such as Musahars, Nats, Valmiki and Puroik and others.
These children need planned, sustained, multi-faceted and focused interventions by governmental agencies and civil society. It is imperative to help them rise out of their current status rooted in intergenerational deprivation, abuse, and discrimination. It will not be sufficient to call them “Children in Need of Care and Protection” as provided under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The term ‘Invisible-Child’ was coined by Mr. Shashank Shekhar.
