DAJI in collaboration with HAQ: Centre for Child Rights held a national consultation on 20 October, 2012,in Delhi on the rights of children of all non-citizens in the country. Focus communities were the non-citizen migrants and refugees in the contexts of migration and trafficking.
The consultation attracted a wide range of audiences and speakers from the civil society, affected communities, media and the government. Key recommendations of the consultation include:
- Children of all non-citizens entering into or living in the country should not be criminalized under the laws pertaining to foreigners. All such pending cases and who have served sentences should be withdrawn forthwith and they be unconditionally released.
- India should evolve an agreement with Bangladesh and Nepal for the safe return and reintegration of migrant children and survivors of trafficking from these countries.
- India should sign the Refugee Convention and its protocol for the treatment all refugees in a just manner.
- The JJ Act should be amended to better protect the non-national children and ensure safe repatriation.
- Laws and practices for the prevention, protection, prosecution, rehabilitation relating to trafficking should be strengthened.
- All children born in the country should be compulsorily provided with birth certificates. However, production of birth certificates should not be mandatory for admission to schools for any child, including the non-citizen child
