1.The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child majority is attained earlier, and emphasizes that States should respect and ensure the rights embodied in the Convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind. While the Convention recognizes the rights of all persons under 18 years, the implementation of rights should take account of children’s development and their evolving capacities. Approaches adopted to ensure the realization of the rights of adolescents differ significantly from those adopted for younger children.
2.Adolescence is a life stage characterized by growing opportunities, capacities, aspirations, energy and creativity, but also significant vulnerability. Adolescents are agents of change and a key asset and resource with the potential to contribute positively to their families, communities and countries. Globally, adolescents engage positively in many spheres, including health and education campaigns, family support, peer education, community development initiatives, participatory budgeting and creative arts, and make contributions towards peace, human rights, environmental sustainability and climate justice. Many adolescents are at the cutting edge of the digital and social media environments, which form an increasingly central role in their education, culture and social networks, and hold potential in terms of political engagement and monitoring accountability.
3.The Committee observes that the potential of adolescents is widely compromised because States parties do not recognize or invest in the measures needed for them to enjoy their rights. Data disaggregated by age, sex and disability are not available in most countries to inform policy, identify gaps and support the allocation of appropriate resources for adolescents. Generic policies designed for children or young people often fail to address adolescents in all their diversity and are inadequate to guarantee the realization of their rights. The costs of inaction and failure are high: the foundations laid down during adolescence in terms of emotional security, health, sexuality, education, skills, resilience and understanding of rights will have profound implications, not only for their individual optimum development, but also for present and future social and economic development.
4.In the present general comment, the Committee provides guidance to States on the measures necessary to ensure the realization of the rights of children during adolescence, cognizant also of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It highlights the importance of a human rights-based approach that includes recognition and respect for the dignity and agency of adolescents; their empowerment, citizenship and active participation in their own lives; the promotion of optimum health, well-being and development; and a commitment to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of their human rights, without discrimination.
5.The Committee recognizes that adolescence is not easily defined, and that individual children reach maturity at different ages. Puberty occurs at different ages for boys and girls, and different brain functions mature at different times. The process of transitioning from childhood to adulthood is influenced by context and environment, as reflected in the wide variation in cultural expectations of adolescents in national legislations, which afford different thresholds for entry into adult activities, and across international bodies, which employ a variety of age ranges to define adolescence. The present general comment does not seek, therefore, to define adolescence, but instead focuses on the period of childhood from 10 years until the 18th birthday to facilitate consistency in data collection.
6.The Committee notes that several of its general comments have a particular resonance for adolescents, notably those relating to adolescent health and development, HIV/AIDS, eradicating practices that are harmful to women and children, unaccompanied and separated children and juvenile justice. The Committee emphasizes the particular significance for adolescents of the recommendations arising from the day of general discussion on digital media and children’s rights. The present general comment has been developed to provide an overview on how the Convention in its entirety needs to be understood and implemented in respect of all adolescents and should be read together with other general comments and with documents arising from the day of general discussion.

The state of marginalized children and youth is a major violation of their human rights and is huge public health problem. The voices and success stories of the youth are truly inspirational case examples, which can help revise and develop policies and strengthen the youth welfare systems. The importance of understanding the gaps in child protection systems and how to implement new approaches into improving the present systems is extremely important. Health, wellbeing, and sports are interlinked with each other. It is our responsibility to push children and youth towards sports and encourage children to be active

The impact of COVID-19 related lockdowns in India had deepened economic vulnerabilities and amplified discriminatory social systems. The lockdown meant restrictions on mobility, access to education, and lack of privacy for the adolescent girls in the marginalized communities. With little to no access to technology, these girls could not even resort to the companionship of their friends. Facing these hardships impacted their mental health adversely. Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS) (www.budsngo.org) is a non-profit organization, which operates in urban slums of India to provide a variety of health and development support services to vulnerable children and youth. During COVID pandemic, BUDS mobile health van (MHV) staff found that girls' education was negatively impacted, and many were at risk of violence and early marriage. Two new drop-in centers (DIC) were opened by BUDS during the pandemic to provide an 18-month long education strategy, vocational skills and leadership development for marginalized girls and young women around the intervention area.

Assisting in understanding the psychological challenges experienced, understanding what individuals can do, and cultivating psychological flexibility when faced with challenges.

This Country Data Profile is based on information provided by knowledgeable professionals in the country. It is often difficult to capture the varying circumstances and ISPCAN was unable to verify the accuracy of the information. It is our hope that each profile offers a useful snapshot of issues related to child protection in each country. The 2020 World Perspectives survey was modified for this most recent data collection, mostly to help clarify the meaning of some questions and provide more guidance to respondents. Respondents were given a link to complete the survey online. The development of the survey was guided by input from an international advisory committee convened for the purposes of collecting country level data and who are acknowledged for their invaluable contributions. The content covered consideration of what circumstances were CM in the country; specific policies regarding CM; legal responses to child sexual exploitation (CSE); services used to address CM; prevention strategies; and barriers to prevention. Data was gathered between December 2019 and February 2020. It is important to note that data on many of the issues may not have been available, requiring respondents to provide educated estimates.

This Country Data Profile is based on information provided by knowledgeable professionals in the country. It is often difficult to capture the varying circumstances and ISPCAN was unable to verify the accuracy of the information. It is our hope that each profile offers a useful snapshot of issues related to child protection in each country. The 2020 World Perspectives survey was modified for this most recent data collection, mostly to help clarify the meaning of some questions and provide more guidance to respondents. Respondents were given a link to complete the survey online. The development of the survey was guided by input from an international advisory committee convened for the purposes of collecting country level data and who are acknowledged for their invaluable contributions. The content covered consideration of what circumstances were CM in the country; specific policies regarding CM; legal responses to child sexual exploitation (CSE); services used to address CM; prevention strategies; and barriers to prevention. Data was gathered between December 2019 and February 2020. It is important to note that data on many of the issues may not have been available, requiring respondents to provide educated estimates.