Stepping Up Child Protection: An Assessment of Child Protection Systems in South Asia, Including Reflections from Other World Regions

Abstract Child protection systems (CPS) across South Asia face persistent and multifaceted challenges. The region, home to nearly one-third of the world’s child population, is characterized by stark socio-economic inequalities, deep-rooted cultural practices, fragile governance frameworks, and a chronic shortage of human and financial resources. These factors collectively undermine the effectiveness of CPS, exposing children to a high risk of violence, exploitation, neglect, and abuse. This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of child protection mechanisms in eight South Asian countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It explores how national frameworks perform in terms of preventing and responding to core child protection concerns: child labour, child marriage, trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, and violence in various forms. The analysis is grounded in international child rights standards, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and assesses how each country aligns with or diverges from these norms. Through a critical examination of legal instruments, institutional arrangements, frontline service delivery, workforce capacity, data systems, and community-based strategies, the study identifies both strengths and structural deficits. For instance, while some countries like Bhutan and the Maldives have made commendable progress in policy articulation and decentralization of child protection services, others like Afghanistan and parts of India still struggle with enforcement, coordination, and coverage—especially in fragile or conflict-affected settings. In recognizing the limitations of the regional context, the paper draws on child protection experiences and models from other world regions. It investigates integrated child welfare approaches from the Nordic countries, community-rooted mechanisms from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and technological innovations in child data management from OECD nations. These comparative insights offer practical illustrations of how political will, legal reform, and institutional synergy can substantially transform child protection outcomes. Importantly, this paper advocates a paradigm shift in South Asia from reactive to preventive protection strategies. It underscores the need for child-centred, inclusive, and rights-based systems that engage families, schools, law enforcement, civil society, and children themselves as key stakeholders. It recommends building CPS that are not only legally robust and adequately resourced but also socially embedded and culturally responsive. The paper concludes with a set of forward-looking recommendations tailored for the South Asian context. These include legislative reforms, capacity building of child protection personnel, enhanced inter-agency coordination, increased public funding, and participatory monitoring mechanisms. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of collecting disaggregated child protection data, expanding access to justice for children, and designing programs that address the root causes of vulnerability such as poverty, gender inequality, and conflict. By blending regional analysis with global reflections, this paper contributes to a growing body of evidence advocating for holistic, scalable, and context-specific child protection reforms. The aim is to influence policymakers, practitioners, and development partners toward shared accountability in safeguarding the rights and dignity of every child in South Asia. Keywords: Child Protection Systems (CPS),South Asia, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Violence Against Children, Child Labour and Trafficking, Child Marriage, Rights-Based Approaches, Institutional Reform, Comparative Global Best Practices, Preventive Child Protection Strategies.