Constitutional and Legal Framework — Definition

Definition

Children's constitutional and legal protection combines rights, public duties and specialised laws addressing education, care and exploitation. The provisions use different age ranges and institutional processes because they address different needs.

Article 21A concerns education for ages six to fourteen, while statutes such as the Juvenile Justice and POCSO Acts use below eighteen for their child definitions. A person can therefore be covered by several protections at once.

The correct approach is to identify the issue and applicable provision, rather than assume that one age threshold or one department resolves every question concerning a child.