Overview

The child labor elimination program addresses this grave violation of children’s rights through a multi-pronged approach that combines awareness generation, family support, educational mainstreaming, and livelihood interventions. Recognizing that child labor is often driven by poverty and lack of access to quality education, the program works with families, communities, and local authorities to create pathways out of child labor while addressing underlying socio-economic vulnerabilities.

Goal

To eliminate child labor in intervention areas by ensuring that every child engaged in work is transitioned to formal education while their families receive support to address economic vulnerabilities.

Objectives

• Conduct comprehensive household surveys to identify children engaged in child labor
• Build awareness among families and communities about harmful impacts of child labor and importance of education
• Provide educational support including remedial classes to bridge learning gaps for children transitioning from work to school
• Link families to social security schemes and livelihood opportunities to address economic drivers of child labor
• Strengthen school-community linkages to ensure sustained enrollment and prevent dropouts
• Advocate with employers and community leaders for elimination of child labor practices
• Monitor mainstreamed children to ensure continued school attendance and prevent relapse into labor.

Achievements

• Identified and documented child laborers across intervention areas through comprehensive household surveys covering over 4,000 households
• Successfully mainstreamed 144 child laborers from various forms of work into formal education systems
• Provided remedial education support to 383 children through Special Learning Centers (SLC) and supplementary classes, improving learning levels and retention
• Linked 697 vulnerable families to social security schemes mobilizing ₹8.4 million in government benefits reducing economic pressure for child labor
• Conducted intensive awareness campaigns reaching over 2,000 stakeholders on negative consequences of child labor and long-term benefits of education
• Established monitoring systems tracking educational progress of mainstreamed children with sustained retention rates
• Created community vigilance mechanisms through VLCPCs ensuring early identification and prevention of new child labor cases.
• Facilitated flexible learning pathways through State Institute of Open Schooling for older children enabling age-appropriate education..

Overview

Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) and Adolescent Resource Centers (ARC) serve as protective, nurturing environments where children and adolescents can access recreational activities, life skills education, psychosocial support, and peer learning opportunities. These community-based spaces provide alternatives to unsafe environments while building children’s resilience, confidence, and social-emotional competencies. Operating in villages with limited recreational and educational infrastructure, CFS/ARCs have become hubs of positive childhood development and community engagement.

Goal

To create accessible, child-friendly spaces in every intervention community where children and adolescents feel safe, valued, and supported in their holistic development.

Objectives

• Establish and maintain well-equipped Child Friendly Spaces and Adolescent Resource Centers in intervention villages
• Deliver structured recreational, educational, and life skills programming tailored to different age groups
• Provide safe environments for peer learning, creative expression, and emotional development
• Facilitate children’s participation in community decision-making through child parliaments and forums
• Integrate gender-sensitive programming addressing discrimination and promoting equality
• Build partnerships with schools, parents, and community institutions for sustained operation
• Create pathways for children to access specialized support services when needed.

Achievements

• Safe spaces: Since 2016 JKASW established 87 child friendly spaces and adolescent Resource centers across Pulwama, Srinagar and Budgam. These spaces helped in safeguarding principles to prevent abuse, neglect, exploitation, or violence. Field team, volunteers, village level child protection committees and other stakeholders were trained in child protection mechanism to ensure children’s safety.​ A Total of 15500 Children and 18000 adolescents were actively involved through activities that aim to build life skills, resilience and psychosocial wellbeing.
• 28500 Community members, including parents and other community members were engaged and trained in identifying and referring child protection concerns.​
• Mental health and psychosocial support and referrals: JKASW has successfully identified and linked 850 children and adolescents to different referral agencies like IMHANS, District mental health program, district early intervention center (DEIC) and MSF for specialized treatment. 18500 children and adolescents were psycho-educated highlighting the importance of mental health wellbeing.
• Prevention of Abuse: JKASW has oriented a total of 1850 Village level child protection committee members including PRI’s, teachers and front- line workers wherein they were apprised about the POSCO act and need to report any such abuse to available support system at district level like CWC and juvenile justice board under Mission vatsalya. In addition, 21000 children and adolescents were given awareness on gender-based violence and other protection issues through different activities at School level.
• Established 20 Child Parliaments providing platforms for 1,801 children to participate in democratic processes and community advocacy
• Successfully advocated for 20 critical infrastructure improvements including school boundary walls, female teachers, transportation facilities, and health centers
• Created 12 fully community-funded centers with local resources demonstrating sustainable community ownership
• Implemented Play for Peace methodology, art activities, outdoor learning, and cultural programs enhancing children’s social-emotional development
• Integrated online safety and cyber security modules reaching 7500 adolescents with digital protection awareness
• Facilitated youth-led action projects on gender-based violence prevention, environmental protection, and community development.

Overview

The drug abuse prevention and response program addresses the growing concern of substance abuse among adolescents and youth in Jammu and Kashmir. Through awareness generation, peer education, counseling support, and community mobilization, the program builds resilience against drug abuse while providing pathways to treatment and recovery for affected individuals. The initiative recognizes drug abuse as both a health and social issue requiring comprehensive, stigma-free approaches.

Goal

To create drug-free communities where children and adolescents are equipped with knowledge and skills to resist substance abuse while affected individuals receive compassionate support for treatment and recovery.

Objectives

• Build comprehensive awareness among adolescents about dangers of drug abuse and strategies for resistance
• Train peer educators who can disseminate prevention messages within their social networks
• Provide counseling support to at-risk adolescents and those experimenting with substances
• Establish referral linkages with de-addiction centers and mental health services
• Mobilize communities, particularly parents and religious leaders, for collective action against drug abuse
• Advocate with local authorities for enhanced drug enforcement and youth-friendly rehabilitation services
• Reduce stigma associated with drug abuse enabling affected individuals to seek help.^[2][3][1]

Achievements

• Conducted comprehensive drug awareness sessions through CFS/ARC centers and schools reaching thousands of adolescents with prevention messaging
• Trained peer educators who disseminated prevention messages within their communities contributing to heightened consciousness about dangers of drug abuse
• Established referral linkages with District Mental Health Programs (DMHP) and de-addiction centers ensuring access to specialized treatment
• Mobilized child parliaments and community volunteers for drug abuse alleviation campaigns improving community vigilance
• Conducted parent sensitization programs educating families about warning signs and supportive responses to drug abuse
• Organized community-wide awareness campaigns in collaboration with District social welfare offices including rallies and dialogues bringing stakeholders together for collective action.

Overview

The Prevention of Abuse sub-theme addresses all forms of violence, exploitation, and maltreatment against children including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Through awareness building, community mobilization, capacity strengthening of protection actors, and establishment of reporting and response mechanisms, the program creates protective environments where children are safe from harm. The initiative emphasizes prevention while ensuring effective response when abuse occurs.

Goal

To create zero-tolerance communities where children are protected from all forms of abuse and where any incidents are promptly identified, reported, and addressed through effective child protection mechanisms.

Objectives

• Build awareness among children, parents, and communities about different forms of abuse and their prevention
• Empower children with knowledge about safe/unsafe touch, personal safety, and help-seeking
• Strengthen capacity of Village Level Child Protection Committees to identify and respond to abuse cases
• Establish clear reporting and referral pathways connecting communities with police, child welfare committees, and courts
• Provide psychosocial support to child survivors of abuse and their families
• Advocate for child-friendly investigation and legal procedures
• Address social norms and attitudes that enable or tolerate abuse against children.

Achievements

• Conducted comprehensive child protection awareness sessions in 200 schools reaching over 21000 children and adolescents
• Trained 1850 VLCPC members and frontline workers on identification, reporting, and response to child abuse cases following child-friendly protocols
• Achieved 50% knowledge increase among children and adolescents on personal safety, good touch/bad touch, and help-seeking behaviors
• Established functioning grievance redressal mechanisms in 23 schools providing safe channels for children to report concerns
• Prevented multiple cases of potential abuse through early intervention by trained VLCPCs and community volunteers and field teams.
• Established strong referral pathways connecting VLCPCs with District Child Protection Units, Child Welfare Committees.
• Formed District Child Protection Committee (DCPC) in Pulwama improving coordination among protection actors
• Conducted sensitization programs for 21000 parents addressing corporal punishment, emotional abuse, and positive parenting practices.