Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development, Smriti Irani, while introducing the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, 21 December, quoted the landmark Supreme Court judgment, Independent Thought vs. UOI [(2017) 10 SCC 800] declaring Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 as a Secular legislation. [Please refer after 2 Minutes and 50 Second]
10th Independent Thought South Asia Legal Essay Competition .
Last date of Submission: 15 August 2021.
Queries & Submission:
essay.ithought@gmail.com and +91-9999899494 (WhatsApp)
10th Independent Thought South Asia Legal Essay Competition under the aegis of SAIEVAC is open for University Students (under 30 years) from South Asian countries
Children Law Research Centre (CLRC), GLA University, Mathura
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the GLA University and Independent Thought towards establishing Children Law Research Centre (CLRC) at the Institute for Legal Research & Studies, GLA University, Mathura.
The CLRC will take forward the larger motto of the ILRC towards developing professional legal skills of research and advocacy on the cross-cutting issue of child / human rights. The CLRC with technical expertise of Independent Thought will be focused towards developing the critical minds of future lawyers and jurists towards recognizing children as equal rights holder having their own call for justice
CCCRL | First Edition | Summer 2021
Certificate Course on Child Rights Law
First of its kind in India the Certificate Course on Child Rights Law is an amalgam of Theory & Practice. 30 Hours programme Certified by GLA University, an Accredited 'A' by NAAC and delivered by best of faculties and anchored by Independent Thought, with its grounding on Child Rights Advocacy, Research & Training.
Landmark Judgment -
Independent Thought vs. Union of India
2020: Established the Children Law Research Centre, GLA University
The CLRC has launched a "Certificate Course on Child Rights Law" in April 2021 and the First Edition of the Course has been successfully completed. For details of the Centre and Course contact CRLC.
#MISSION2029 Launch by CACM
The first law on Child Marriage in the unified India pre-partition, pre-independence and pre-Constitution was promulgated in 1929 - Child Marriage Restraint Act. It will be 100 years of Law in 2029 and shamefully we still as a country are not able to save 1/4th of the girls from being forced-early child marriage. As a country we need to work on a mission mode to end the menace of child marriage.
2018: Jena Committee Report on Child Care Institutions
Independent Thought supported the preparation of the draft report "Jena Committee Report on Child Care Institutions" under the supervision and guidance of the Committee headed by Smt. Ratna Anjan Jena
2017: Landmark Judgment - Independent Thought vs. Union of India
On 11 October 2017, International Girl Child Day, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, in a historic judgment declared sex with minor wife as Rape. The Judgment has changed the discourse on child marriages from a socio-economic-cultural-religious narrative to a Legal rights violations issue, demanding legal reform & implementation and requiring a responsible and accountable state mechanism to end child marriages.
2014-2017: Project Sangwari, Dantewada, Chhattisgarh
Independent Thought implemented project Sangwari “Strengthening Child Protection Mechanisms in Civil Strife areas of Dantewada District”. It was implemented with support from UNICEF in 25 villages of 14 Panchayat under Dantewada Block of Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh on issues of child protection.
2012-Ongoing: Independent Thought National Legal Essay Competition (Annual)
10th Year of the Essay Competition has generated lot of debate and discussions on issues concerning Child Rights Law among law students. Many of past winners are now successful lawyers, judicial magistrates and academicians, among others and we are sure must be keeping the best interest of children in priority in their legal engagements
2012-Ongoing: Independent Thought National Legal Essay Competition (Annual)
2013: Campaign against Child Marriage (CACM) Launched For recognition of rights violation of girl children due to child marriage, need for legal reform and better implementation and finally for more responsible and accountable State action; the CACM continues to take forward the #MISSION2029. For details www.childmarriage.info
2013: Public Interest Litigation(s)
Child Rights jurisprudence is an emerging area of work with lot of complications as most of the Stakeholders view from their experience of handling adult issues. Judiciary is part of Constitutional framework of State and has a critical role to play in strengthening the Legal and Institutional Mechanism of Child Rights Governance. With this thought, Independent Thought has been engaged in Public Interest Litigations on several issues concerning right of Children since 2013 both at the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Impacts
RiseUp Leadership Fellow
Vikram Srivastava, Founder, Independent Thought was Rise Up Leadership Fellow in Rise Up Cohort: India 2020
Women changing Rules
Ranjana Srivastava, Co-founder, Independent Thought was recognized as the "Three extraordinary women who are rewriting the rules for girls" by Girls not Bride
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a letter dated 23 October 2017 wrote to the Minister of External Affairs, Government of India expressing the following, "I Welcome the recent decision by the Supreme Court which ruled that sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, aged below 18, was rape.
Haryana Amends PCM Rules, 2020
PROHIBITION OF CHILD MARRIAGE (HARYANA AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020 amendment to the Section 3 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, declaring "every child marriage solemnized to be void ab initio". The amendment specifically mentions Independent Thought judgment.
UP State Rules Drafting
CACM is part of the Uttar Pradesh State Rules for PCMA, 2006 drafting Committee
Police and Judicial Actions
Post 2017 Judgment Police and Judiciary has initiated taking cognizance of child marriage cases as crime under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012